CEF Energy: EUR 67.4 million to support works & studies for cross-border renewable energy projects

Following the publication of the 2023 CEF Energy call for works and studies for cross-border renewable energy (CB RES) projects, opened for applications from 17 October 2023 to 6 February 2024, five new Actions have been selected to support the delivery of cross-border renewable projects.

The awarded Actions involve five EU countries (Estonia, Latvia, The Netherlands, Germany and Poland) and cover sectors such as offshore and onshore wind, biomass, district heating and green hydrogen/ammonia.

• SLOWP: the objective is to build and operate an offshore wind park in Estonian coastal waters by 2030. The project will receive EUR 10 million of CEF support to carry out technical studies such as the environmental impact assessment, the geotechnical and geophysical studies as well as preparations activities for the permitting.
• ULP-RES: Utilitas Lode-Penuja RES Wind park (ULP-RES) is a project aiming to establish a renewable energy cross-border greenfield onshore wind farm in the border areas of Estonia and Latvia, with a total capacity up to 200 MW. CEF will support the project with EUR 26.6 million to perform some construction works during the first stage of its development (wind turbine foundations, grid and road constructions).
• UNITED HEAT: the overarching goal of the project is to undertake a comprehensive transformation towards deep decarbonisation of district heat production in the European City Görlitz/Zgorzelec. The project has been awarded with CEF funding for two different Actions: 

1. EUR 4.8 million for technical studies, to cover the design and approval planning for the building permits for the respective RES plants, the new grid routes including the cross-border pipeline, and the thermal energy storage, as well as the drafting of the final heat transfer and supply contracts between the companies involved.
2. EUR 14.5 million for works, to build and commission a biomass heating plant and a district heating pipeline connecting the Königshufen district heating area with the wastewater treatment plant in Görlitz to integrate waste heat from the sewage gas CHP (Combined Heat & Power) plant. 

• CICERONE-Ammonia: The Action is part of the wider CICERONE project with the overall objective to establish a first-of-a-kind integrated, cross-border renewable hydrogen value chain in Europe while integrating renewables from Spain. CEF will support CICERONE-Ammonia with EUR 11.6 million to prepare the project implementation by conducting prior action needed to define and develop an ammonia import terminal and a first-of-a-kind ammonia cracking plant in the Port of Rotterdam that will convert (crack) the majority of renewable ammonia, produced by Spanish RES, back into hydrogen.

The total funding awarded to the projects amounts to EUR 67.4 million from the CB RES window under CEF Energy.

CB RES Background

The cross-border renewable energy window under CEF Energy promotes cross-border cooperation between Member States in the field of planning, development and the cost-effective exploitation of renewable energy sources, as well as facilitate their integration through energy storage facilities and with the aim of contributing to the Union’s long term decarbonisation strategy, completing the internal energy market and enhancing the security of supply.

More information:

CB RES programme

CB RES approved projects

DG ENER