Standalone projects

Objective:

This topic targets projects addressing serious social, economic and environmental challenges deriving from the transition towards the EU’s 2030 climate and energy targets and the EU’s 2050 objective of climate neutrality, for the benefit of the EU territories identified in the Territorial Just Transition Plans.

The projects must also qualify for a loan by the EIB (or one of its financial intermediaries).

Scope:

Projects related to a wide range of sustainable investments may be funded, such as:

• investments in renewable energy and green and sustainable mobility, including the promotion of green hydrogen

• efficient district heating networks

• public research

• digitalisation

• environmental infrastructure for smart waste and water management

• sustainable energy, energy efficiency and integration measures, including renovations and conversions of buildings

• urban renewal and regeneration

• the transition to a circular economy

• land and ecosystem restoration and decontamination, taking into account the ‘polluter pays’ principle

• biodiversity, as well as

• up-skilling and re-skilling, training, and

• social infrastructure, including care facilities and social housing.

Infrastructure development may also include cross-border projects and solutions leading to enhanced resilience to withstand ecological disasters, in particular those accentuated by climate change. A comprehensive investment approach should be favoured, in particular for territories with important transition needs.

Investments in other sectors may also be supported, if they are consistent with the approved Territorial Just Transition Plans.

The following sectors are excluded from the scope of the JTM PSLF support:

• decommissioning or the construction of nuclear power stations

• manufacturing, processing and marketing of tobacco and tobacco products

• help to undertakings in difficulty, as defined in point (18) of Article 2 of Commission Regulation (EU) No 651/2014 (18), unless authorised under

temporary State aid rules established to address exceptional circumstances or under de minimis aid to support investments reducing energy costs in the context of the energy transition process

• investments related to the production, processing, transport, distribution, storage or combustion of fossil fuel.

The project activities must benefit a territory covered by an approved Territorial Just Transition Plan and must be consistent with this Plan and the sectors and thematic areas it sets out.

Expected Impact

Proposals must describe in Part B of the application (section 1, relevance and impact) how the project will achieve a measurable impact in addressing serious social, economic and environmental challenges deriving from the transition towards the EU’s 2030 climate and energy targets and the EU’s 2050 objective of climate neutrality. In particular, and when relevant, key performance indicators (KPIs) on greenhouse gas emission (GHG) reductions, job creation per gender, number of people reached are to be provided in part C of the application.

Applicants are recommended to use the EIB methodology for assessing project GHG reductions and emissions variations “EIB Project Carbon Footprint Methodologies”.

Applicants are also recommended to take into account the guidance provided in the publication “Considering gender in regional transformations: A toolkit for just transition regions” in order to identify gender challenges relevant to their project.

For more information about the EIB lending policy, see Regional development & cohesion (eib.org).