EU Member States approved the Commission’s proposal to invest €22.1 million to support the development of connections between transport and energy infrastructure in Europe.
The seven selected projects will receive funding from the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) and will contribute to the deployment of sustainable and efficient transport and energy infrastructure.
EU Commissioner for Transport Violeta Bulc stated: „European transport still depends on oil for 94% of its energy needs. That is why the EU is investing in seven projects to speed up the deployment of alternative energy sources, with a special focus on electrification and multimodal transport”.
EU Commissioner for Climate Action & Energy, Miguel Arias Cañete, noted: „Enabling synergies between the transport and energy sectors will enhance the effectiveness of EU funding and will contribute to the further integration of the internal energy market. The successful conclusion of the first CEF synergy call is yet another milestone in the achievement of our long-term decarbonisation objectives”.
Their statements were echoed by the Director of the Innovation and Networks Executive Agency (INEA), Dirk Beckers: „One of our key priorities is to strengthen synergies between CEF sectors. I am proud that INEA, in coordination with the Commission, organised the first call of this kind and very pleased that we will manage these innovative projects. The projects selected represent innovative investments in Trans-European Networks and will contribute to the EU’s economic competitiveness”.
Selected projects concern studies with or without pilot deployment contributing to the implementation of at least one project of common interest (PCI) in each of the transport and energy sectors.
Of the seven projects selected for funding:
Four refer to the transport priorities „Motorways of the Sea”, „Maritime ports” and „multimodal transport modes” with emphasis on the gas sector (EU funding of €8.8 million)
Two are in the electricity sector addressing Roads and multimodal transport modes (EU funding of €12.3 million)
One relates to smart grids, focusing on Railway transport (EU funding of €1 million).
The list of selected projects includes, among others:
Installing stationary storage systems (e.g. batteries) on ultra and fast charging stations for electric vehicles along Core Network Corridors in Austria and Germany;
Increasing energy efficiency of the Croatian railway system by feeding back regenerative braking power into the electricity grid
Developing LNG as a marine fuel in Malta.
The small-scale LNG Reloading Terminal in Gdansk and bunkering services
Launched in September 2016 with a total budget of €40 million, the first CEF Synergy call triggered nine eligible project proposals, of which seven were selected for funding. The EU’s financial contribution for the selected projects is 60% of the eligible costs, which includes the 10% bonus for synergies between the two sectors. The Commission funding decision is scheduled for adoption by end April. INEA intends to sign the individual grant agreements with the project beneficiaries by August 2017.
Background
The Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) is a key EU funding instrument to promote growth, jobs and competitiveness through targeted infrastructure investment at European level. It supports the development of high performing, sustainable and efficiently interconnected trans-European networks in the fields of transport, energy and digital services.
Under the CEF, €22.4 billion will be made available from the EU’s 2014-2020 budget to co-fund transport projects in the EU Member States whilst €4.7 billion will support projects in the energy sector. The funding is implemented in the form of grants, managed by INEA, and through financial instruments.
The small-scale LNG Reloading Terminal in Gdansk and bunkering services
The Action aims at assessing the feasibility for the construction of a small-scale LNG reloading terminal in the port of Gdańsk and of LNG bunkering vessels as well as at launching the related preparatory activities. The Action contributes to the TEN-T and TEN-E priorities and the objectives of the Synergy call. Gdańsk is a maritime core port on the Baltic-Adriatic corridor. In terms of energy priorities, the Action relates to the PCI 8.7, being linked to the capacity extension of the Świnoujście LNG terminal. The expected output of the Action is a set of studies and Cost Benefit analyses, which aim at providing recommendations regarding the development of LNG as a marine fuel but also for the road transport along the corridor.
Source and more information: INEA