The European Commission hosted discussions on accelerating investments in buildings and infrastructure in Belgium through better access to finance for energy efficiency and deployment of public-private partnerships, last September, within the framework of the Sustainable Energy Investment Forums initiative. This event was building on four regional thematic workshops on financing for energy efficiency in Belgium that took place in June 2021.
The Belgian State Secretary for Recovery and Strategic Investments, Mr Thomas Dermine, highlighted the need to attract private investment for implementing the Belgian Recovery and Resilience Plan (RRP). This plan includes EUR 1 billion for the renovation of buildings.
The Belgian federal government intends to use Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs) and Energy Performance Contracts (EPCs) for the renovation of public buildings, as they allow private investors to finance investments, which are paid back through the energy savings. It intends to set up a programme implementation unit responsible for developing a pipeline of energy performance contracts aggregating multiple buildings and a dedicated layered fund to provide finance for the investments.
A number of examples for innovative financing instruments were also presented at the event illustrating relevant experiences from abroad, including energy efficient mortgages, one-stop-shops (SuperHomes 2030 project), property tax financing schemes (EUROPACE project), on-bill financing (RenOnBill project), the Italian Superbonus 110% tax credit as well as guarantee and refinancing schemes.
The Sustainable Energy Investment Forums initiative was launched by the European Commission in 2017 and is funded under H2020. It is managed by the European Climate, Infrastructure and Environment Executive Agency (CINEA). More than 40 events in 25 Member States were organised with the aim to facilitate dialogue between relevant stakeholders for activating private-sector investments on sustainable energy, enhancing access to finance for energy efficiency projects and for helping to replicate and to scale up best practices of investment programmes in energy efficiency and small-scale renewables.
Details
- Publication date
- 3 November 2021