Supporting district heating and cooling networks

The main goal of this opportunity is to accelerate the shift towards modern and efficient district heating and cooling systems, helping to achieve carbon neutrality and lessen dependence on fossil fuel imports in the EU. The initiative focuses on supporting operators, local authorities, and stakeholders with investment planning, expert guidance, and capacity building to either upgrade existing systems or create new ones that rely entirely on renewable energy or waste heat. Key areas include integrating renewable sources, evaluating investments and affordability, preparing business plans, securing financing, and sharing knowledge across eligible countries. Proposals must involve international partnerships to promote replication and knowledge transfer.

• Projects must be proposed by at least three applicants from three different eligible countries.
• They should provide technical support for operators or owners of existing district heating systems to switch fuels and meet efficiency standards.
• Alternatively, they can focus on developing investment plans for new district heating or cooling networks based solely on renewable energy or waste heat.
• Proposals should generally request up to 2,000,000€ in EU funding, though other amounts are allowed.
• Projects should not include costs for new equipment or the development of new tools or software.

Examples:

• A group of municipalities in three countries collaborates to create investment plans for new renewable-based district heating networks.
• Energy operators from different regions work together to develop technical guidance for switching existing heating systems from fossil fuels to waste heat sources.
• Local authorities and industry partners prepare a business plan to secure funding for upgrading outdated district cooling systems using only existing commercial software.

• Staff costs for project management and coordination
• Fees for external experts and consultants
• Workshops, seminars, and stakeholder meetings
• Travel and accommodation for project-related activities
• Costs for preparing investment and business plans
• Communication, dissemination, and knowledge transfer activities
• Use of existing commercial software for analysis and planning
• Administrative and overhead costs related to project delivery

Restrictions: Funding is not expected to cover the purchase of new equipment or the development of new tools or software. Only existing commercial software should be used where needed.

• Co-financing rate: 95%
• Budget for this Call: 6,000,000€
• Number of Grants attributed: 3
• Maximum value per project: 2,000,000€

• Applications must include at least three applicants from three different eligible countries.
• Applicants must be legal entities established in eligible countries as described in the call document.
• Applicants must show they have the financial and operational capacity to carry out the project.
• Only beneficiaries (not affiliated entities) count towards the minimum partnership requirement.
• Projects must focus on modernizing or developing district heating or cooling systems based on renewable energy or waste heat.
• Applicants should not plan to purchase new equipment or develop new software tools as part of their project.
• Eligibility depends on forming a consortium across multiple eligible countries.