REPowerEU application round for energy investments under Finland’s Recovery and Resilience Plan

The aim of the aid scheme is to promote clean transition investments that are in line with the REPowerEU chapter of Finland’s Recovery and Resilience plan. The investments will contribute to Finland’s goal of carbon neutrality by 2035 by stimulating the introduction of new clean technologies for energy production and use, and/or by promoting the development of the production and storage of renewable hydrogen on a commercial scale. The reserved amount of aid for the clean transition investments is all together 54.5 million euros.  
 
Finland’s Recovery and Resilience Plan is the national plan for utilising the funding from the EU’s Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF). The Plan is part of the Sustainable Growth Programme

Projects eligible for aid

The fourth (REPowerEU) application round for energy investments under Finland Recovery and resilience plan will focus on clean transition investments. As indicated in the REPowerEU chapter, the aid can be granted for large-scale renewable energy projects in the demonstration phase with a priority in technical feasibility, and/or projects along the hydrogen value chain for renewable hydrogen production. The investments must be completed by 30 June 2026.


The aid may be granted for: 

  • renewable fuels in transport (electric fuels and biofuels), 
  • non-combustion heat production, 
  • other renewable energy projects such as large sustainable biogas production projects using low-used inputs (excluding transmission and distribution of biogas), large scale solar energy projects and projects that promote energy storage
  • Important  Projects of Common European interest (IPCEI) in the hydrogen sector
  • other domestic renewable hydrogen investments

The granting of the aid is based on Government Decree 1112/2021.
 
In this application round, only projects with an eligible cost of over five million will be accepted.
 
The granting of aid will be based on a comparison of applications by investment type. The overall assessment will be based on the effectiveness of the investment in meeting the objectives of Finland’s Recovery and Resilience Plan. In particular, the comparison will take into account the contribution of the projects to increasing the use of renewable energy and hydrogen and to the long-term development and commercialisation of technologies.

Particular attention will be paid to

  • energy and emissions impacts,
  • cost-effectiveness,
  • feasibility,
  • novelty value of the technology included in the projects,
  • replicability of a technology or project, and
  • other impacts of the projects.

Aid may be granted to companies and other entities such as municipalities, and only to projects or parts of projects that would not be launched without the aid. The project or the limited part of the project to be financed by the aid may not start before the application for aid has been submitted. Aid will not be granted to housing companies, residential properties or farms, or any projects related to these.

Special eligibility criteria and the “Do No Significant Harm” principle of energy investments under Finland’s Recovery and Resilience Plan.

The supported projects must comply with the technical guidelines of the “Do No Significant Harm” principle (2021/C58/01). Projects cannot include activities specified in the exclusion list of the Annex to the Council Implementing Decision (2021/0317). The projects must comply with European Union and national environmental legislation. Further information is available in the application instructions.

The granting and use of aid is also subject to other special conditions and obligations imposed on the beneficiary, which are defined in the Decree and described in more detail in the application instructions.

How to apply

Applications in the fourth application round must be submitted by 29th of February. 

Funding applications can be submitted via Business Finland’s online services and will be accepted from 29th of January.

Business Finland’s online service support is available on weekdays at 9.00–11.00 and 12.00–15.00 at +358 29 469 5800.

Funding will be applied via Energiatuki -investointihanke application. Under RRF – Suomen kestävän kasvun ohjelma, please select RRF – Energiainvestointituki. A separate RRF support application form and other appendices referred to in the application form and instructions must be attached to the application.

The application form and its appendices must be submitted in Finnish or Swedish. Material other than that requested in the instructions must not be submitted.

Application instructions (updated 26th of January 2024) 

Application form 

Read more about the call for applications

Link to the press release 29.1.2024

Additional information can be found at the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment’s website: RRF energy investment aid projects granted aid.

Inquiries: 
Irene Heikkilä, Senior Specialist, tel. +358 295 047 158 (aid programme, RRF)
Daniela Karlsson, Senior Specialist, tel. +358 295 047 371 (aid programme, RRF)
Email addresses are in the format [email protected]