Spain has a total of 29 projects awarded under the EU Innovation Fund, linked to a volume of aid of 1,286 million euros, making it the country with the most beneficiary projects.
The projects, widely distributed geographically, will be developed in very diverse sectors, such as the manufacture of photovoltaic modules and wind turbines, the production of photovoltaic solar energy on water channels, recycling of plastics and textiles, production of green ammonia, production of low-emission construction materials and glass, or capture and geological storage of carbon.
Specifically, this figure has been reached after eight new projects have been awarded in the last call for 2023, out of a total of 85 selected, according to the Ministry for the Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge.
The Directorate General for Climate Action of the European Commission has published the results of the latest call for the selection of projects within the framework of the Innovation Fund. This resolution is the seventh published by the fund for the selection of projects, and is endowed with more than 4,000 million for projects focused on the manufacture of clean technologies and pilot projects of large, medium and small scale.
Thus, Spain has attracted 29 projects in the seven calls for proposals from the fund, to which two others are added with location in several EU countries -one in Germany and another in France and the Czech Republic- with Spanish participation. Additionally, also charged to the fund, two Spanish initiatives have been awarded 238 million in the first auction of the Hydrogen Bank.
Among the most notable projects that have been awarded funds in all these calls are the ‘Catalina’ project in Andorra, (Teruel) led by CIP for the production of renewable hydrogen -with 230.46 million euros-; ‘Green Meiga’ in Lugo, by Iberdrola for the production of green methanol from renewable hydrogen and CO2 captured from the air and burning plant waste – with 122.91 million euros.
There are also Repsol projects such as the Ecoplanta in Morell (Tarragona) for the use of non-recyclable municipal waste to generate methanol – 106.37 million euros – or ‘T-Hynet’ also in Tarragona for the production of green hydrogen in the Tarragona refinery for local consumption – 62 million euros -, among others.
Among the last eight projects awarded in the 2023 call are the ‘TarraCO2-Storage’ projects by Repsol in Tarragona; ‘Gaia’ in Avilés by Fertiberia; ‘Modus’ in Valencia by Intecsa (Cobra-Vincci group); ‘CT Quarry’ in Cantoria (Almería) by Cosentino Industrial; ‘PVOrellana’ in Canal de Orellana (Cáceres) by Acciona; or ‘MOD4PV’ in Extremadura by Trina Solar and Iberdrola, among others.
The EU Innovation Fund is a specific financing programme for the deployment of innovative technologies, processes and products with low carbon emissions managed by the European Commission, whose objective is to introduce solutions to the market that contribute to meeting the EU’s decarbonisation commitments. It is financed by auctions of emission rights and a budget of 40,000 million is estimated for the period 2020-2030.
This fund promotes strategic technologies, complying not only with climatic objectives, but also those included in the Law on the net zero emissions industry or the Renewable Energy Directive.
Thus, it finances projects in energy-intensive industries; for the generation of innovative renewable energies, including the production of green hydrogen or new sustainable fuels for transport; energy storage; circularity in the use of raw materials… Projects located in the EU, Norway and Iceland can participate.
In Spain, the Subdirectorate General of Carbon Markets of the Spanish Office of Climate Change acts as the national focal point for the Innovation Fund.
