Spain’s Vice-President of the Government and Minister for Ecological Transition and Demographic Challenge, Teresa Ribera, recently announced the plan for a first call, backed by a substantial €750 million allocation from the Recovery and Resilience Plan (RPP) in the form of direct grants. This strategic move underscores Spain’s commitment to strengthening its renewable energy and storage value chains.
Regulatory framework for funding calls
The ministerial order lays down the regulatory framework for funding calls targeting projects that promote the circular economy and enhance the value chain of net-zero technologies. The explicit goal is to reinforce Spain’s and Europe’s strategic autonomy in the renewable energy and storage sectors and contribute to the reindustrialization of Spain. Notably, these aids are notified to the European Commission under the Temporary Crisis and Transition Framework, a temporary relaxation of state aid rules to support specific industries — a measure strongly advocated for by ESMC.
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For the past two years, ESMC has been advocating for leveraging the opportunities presented by the Recovery and Resilience Facility in conjunction with the TCTF framework. Spain’s allocation of €1 billion dedicated to net-zero industries specifically earmarked for manufacturing out of a €3 billion overall budget for renewables signaled a step in the right direction already in November last year, ESMC stated.
The initiative is currently undergoing a public consultation period, scheduled from February 26th to March 15th, 2024. (hcn)
