European Energy Communities Facility to award EUR 45,000 per project

The European Energy Communities Facility has launched its first call for proposals to support the development of comprehensive business plans for community energy projects. Emerging energy communities in 27 European Union member states, Iceland, Moldova, North Macedonia, and Ukraine can apply for a lump sum grant of EUR 45,000 per beneficiary.

The European Energy Communities Facility grants are intended to support the development of comprehensive business plans for community energy projects in 31 countries. A total budget of over EUR 3 million will be distributed among 73 selected initiatives to empower citizens to drive a fair, democratic, and sustainable energy transition. The application deadline is September 30.

The application deadline is September 30

The funding will cover all preparatory steps needed to develop a sound, viable, and bankable business plan, from technical and financial assessments to legal and administrative procedures, including feasibility studies.

In addition to financial support, successful applicants will gain access to peer-to-peer exchanges and a capacity-building programme, tailored to help them develop and implement their business plans.

Existing communities also can apply

While the call is primarily aimed at emerging energy communities, existing communities exploring new services or business models are also eligible to apply.

To qualify, the applicant must be registered as a legal entity and comply with one of the EU definitions for energy communities, be based in an eligible country (EU27, Iceland, Moldova, North Macedonia, and Ukraine), and commit to fulfilling all grant obligations.

To ensure fairness, applications will be assessed within two regional categories, based on the legal framework for energy communities of each country. This approach guarantees that initiatives developed in countries facing more challenging conditions for community energy will not be in competition with those emerging from countries with more favorable conditions.

Independent experts will evaluate proposals based on project ambition, readiness, quality, and local impact. The evaluation results are expected to be communicated by December.