Electricity, Gas, Smart Grids, Hydrogen and CO₂ networks - Studies

Such entity may apply, if the eligibility criteria related to the applicant and the PCI/PMI as described in the work programme and in the call for proposals are met, i.e. the company is involved in the implementation of an action related to one of the projects of common interest or projects of mutual interest on the PCI and PMI list and it obtained the agreement of the concerned Member State.

However, please keep in mind the definitions of the PCI/PMI and the project promoter in Article 2 of the TEN -E Regulation. Please also note that as the proposal will be assessed notably against its direct contribution to PCI/PMI implementation, it should demonstrate appropriate cooperation with the project promoter(s) of the PCI/PMI.

The eligibility scope of CO2 transport infrastructures, in particular for surface and injection facilities, is established in Annex II.5) of the TEN-E Regulation.

In the Environmental compliance file each applicant shall provide information for each Member State where the project is implemented.

The evidence on the conversion of ammonia to H2 is indeed needed.

No, electrolyser projects can only apply for grants for studies. Art 18 of the TEN-E Regulationlists the energy infrastructure categories that can apply for grants for works, provided that they comply with the requirements listed in the article, and that the projects are in the PCI/PMI list in force.

Applicants may rely on the version of CBA methodology that was used for the purposes of the PCI / PMI selection process, or other more recent version.

For electricity, offshore and energy storage, the Commission published the CBA Methodology applied in the 2022-2023 PCI/PMI selection procedure here: circabc.europa.eu.

For hydrogen and electrolysers, ENTSOG published a single-sector CBA methodology for H2: Methodology for Cost-Benefit Analyses of Hydrogen Infrastructure Projects 2024PDF.

For Smart Electricity Grids, this guidance (not mandatory) could be used: energy.ec.europa.euPDF.

For CO2, this guidance could be used: energy.ec.europa.euPDF.

Under this call, activities are eligible as long as they fall within the scope of the project as defined in the 2nd PCI/PMI list, and further specified in the technical document. The application should explain any modifications / deviations compared to the project description in the document and set out how it meets the eligibility and award criteria, in particular with regard to the PCI/PMI scope.

Pursuant to Article 16(4) and Article 18(2) of the TEN-E Regulation, projects that request a cross-border cost allocation (CBCA) decision are required to submit an up-to-date CBA to the relevant NRAs. In all other cases (for instance, projects that have already received a CBCA decision in the past or for which a CBCA is not needed), there is no obligation to update the CBA that was used for the PCI / PMI selection process. Applicants may choose to do so, in particular if there have been changes or new developments impacting the CBA. An updated CBA is always beneficial for the assessment of the application.

As detailed in Section 7 of the call document, the documents for the final capacity assessment are requested during grant agreement preparation to applicants whose proposals selected for funding. Successful applicants are requested to submit in the participant register documents such as profit and loss account and balance sheet, business plan, audit report

Pursuant to Article 18(2) of the TEN-E Regulation, applicants must supply (1) a CBA providing evidence concerning the existence of significant positive externalities and (2) a business plan and other assessments that show the project cannot be financed by the market. In addition, to be exempted from the cross-border cost allocation (CBCA) requirement (“where they do not fall under the competence of national regulatory authorities and therefore, they do not receive a cross-border cost allocation decision”), applicants could submit a confirmation by the relevant National Regulatory Authority (NRA) or other concerned authority that hydrogen is not regulated in their respective jurisdiction. If a project involves more than one Member State, the confirmation from one of the NRAs or relevant authorities where it is not regulated is sufficient. Further, they must meet three cumulative requirements, namely that: the project aims to provide services across borders; brings technological innovation; and ensures the safety of cross-border grid operation. Promoters are expected to elaborate on how they comply with the three criteria in their CEF application form: Technical part (Part B), section 4 (Impact). (See Q&A 40197 on how the applicants should demonstrate that their projects meet the cumulative requirements).

Applicants from proposals selected for funding will be requested, during grant agreement preparation, to submit documents for a Financial Capacity Assessment, when applicable, in order to determine that they have the financial means to carry out the project. See Section 7 of the call document. As stated therein, if it is concluded that your financial capacity is not satisfactory, we may require further information, i.e. joint and several responsibility for all beneficiaries or joint and several liability of affiliated entities, pre-financing paid in instalments, pre-financing guarantees, or propose no prefinancing. Ultimately, we may request that you are replaced or reject the entire proposal.

The result on the financial capacity assessment cannot be prejudged and will be based case by case on the applicant, the proposed project, the role of the company, the amount of funding, etc.

Lease of land is not eligible for funding under CEF-Energy.

No. The CEF Energy programme co-finances studies and works related, inter alia, to CO2 transport infrastructure.

However, to be funded under CEF Energy, a proposed action has to meet, among others, two conditions: 1) to contribute to the implementation of an energy infrastructure project of common interest (PCI) and 2) to relate to one (or more) of the infrastructure items described in Annex II of the TEN-E regulation. These do not include gas pipelines for supply to industrial installations such as blast furnaces.

No. For a proposal including a non-EU country, you need a Letter of Support (MS Agreement) from the EU Member State impacted by or supporting the project, not from the non-EU country.

The PCIs and PMIs included in the latest PCI and PMI list, established by Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2026/764 of 1 December 2025 can apply for the ongoing PCI/PMI call for proposals.

There is no requirement outlining that there should be no signed contract between project promoter and contractor before a proposal has been submitted. If a contract already exists, this should be stated in application form. Please note the specific cost eligibility conditions for this call: only costs for activities carried out in eligible countries or target countries are eligible, subcontracted work must be performed in the eligible countries or target countries.For further details on specific eligibility conditions applicable to award of purchase contracts and subcontracting, please refer to Article 6.2 (sections C Purchase costs and B Subcontracting costs), and Article 9.3 of the model grant agreement.

Yes. However, please make sure that the additional WPs are necessary for the implementation of the action.

Yes, this would be eligible for funding under this call, as it falls within the scope of Annex II, (5).d), of the TEN-E Regulation, which states that “concerning carbon dioxide […] (c) any equipment or installation essential for the system in question to operate properly, securely and efficiently, including protection, monitoring and control systems.” This specific infrastructure item is considered to be included in such kind of assets.

In case of a cross-border PCI/PMI when both project promoters intend to submit proposals for funding, we strongly recommend submitting a joint application, with different work packages to be carried out by the two project promoters.

Yes, it is possible to apply for CEF Energy funding if part of the activities of the proposed Action will be implemented through subcontracts. All procurements to be done in relation to the activities of the proposed Action should be clearly explained in the application form. Please note the specific cost eligibility conditions for this call: only costs for activities carried out in eligible countries or target countries are eligible; subcontracted work must be performed in the eligible countries or target countries. For further details on specific eligibility conditions applicable to award of purchase contracts and subcontractors, please refer to Article 6.2 (sections C Purchase costs and B Subcontracting costs), and Article 9.3 of the model grant agreement.

The information to be provided has to reflect the situation of the current applicant. If the new company taking over the implementation of the proposed Action is not yet officially established at the time of submission, no specific administrative documents need to be provided. Nonetheless, if important changes - such as a change to the legal structure of the project promoter - are already known at submission stage, they should be described in the application. An explanation of how such changes will be implemented should also be provided in the application. Applicant(s) should also indicate to which extent and how the change may impact the implementation of the proposed Action. If the change led to new risks related to the implementation of the Action, these should also be described together with the risk mitigation measures envisaged. All of this information can be provided in Section 3.2 Consortium set-up, governance and organisational structure of the application form PART B.

“The territory of which the proposed Action is planned to be implemented” concerns the location(s) of the activity/ies that are the subject of the proposal. It does not necessarily cover the location where the costs are to be incurred or where the personnel working on the Action are located.

The information provided in the application form should relate to the proposed Action itself and, where relevant, to the PCI/PMI to which it is related. In particular, for works proposals, applicants should refer to the cross-border allocation (CBA) of the concerned PCI/PMI when providing information on the need to overcome financial obstacles. However, if the CBA was prepared for a cluster of PCIs, rather than for a specific PCI/PMI within that cluster, the information can then be provided for the cluster.

Yes. All PCIs and PMIs in the PCI and PMI list are eligible for grants for studies.

Yes, if the infrastructures are part of the PCI/PMI scope. As they fall under categories described in Annex II. (5) of the TEN-E Regulation, they would be eligible for funding under this call.

Yes. The evaluation is done only on applications for the current call and does not take previous applications into account. Therefore it is necessary to submit all requested documents for each application, even in the case that an applicant would submit several proposals for the same call.

Please also note that it is the responsibility of the applicant to ensure that data provided in the application is up-to-date and valid.

As indicated in Q&A ID 17156, if the Action involves works or any type of physical intervention, the competent authority in the Member State in question needs to sign the declaration for monitoring of NATURA 2000 sites to certify that there is no impact on NATURA 2000 areas.

For studies without physical intervention, there is no need to have any declarations signed and attached to the environmental compliance form. The applicant should simply tick the box ‘study without physical intervention’.

Yes. An affiliated entity of the project promoter can be part of an application. Please note however that the proposal cannot be sent only by the affiliated entity (the project promoter needs to be part of the application).

If the affiliated entity is the sole implementer of the project, it is also subject to operational capacity and financial capacity assessment. The proposal should also explain how the cooperation will be organised and how the project promoter will be involved in the proposal.

To be an affiliated entity, a capital or legal link to the beneficiary needs to be demonstrated. A capital link is:

- direct or indirect control of the beneficiary

- under the same direct or indirect control as the beneficiary or

- directly or indirectly controlling the beneficiary.

This covers not only the case of parent companies or holdings and their ‘daughter’ companies or subsidiaries and vice-versa, but also the case of affiliates between themselves (e.g. entities controlled by the same entity). ‘Sister’ companies must have the necessary capital link to be one the beneficiary and the other its affiliated entity. It is not necessary that the parent company is also part of the grant agreement.

The agreement should be provided by the concerned Member States, meaning the Member States where the action is being implemented and that will be impacted by the outcome of the action. In the case of works or studies being implemented in two or more Member States, all of them have to provide agreement. If a study (also including feasibility or desktop study) or works is being implemented in one Member State only, then only the agreement of that concerned Member State is required.

The promoter has to sign and submit the TEN-E compliance form (Compliance with EU Law on Energy Infrastructure). In case of multiple applicants/beneficiaries, it is preferably to submit a single form in relation to the project, where the data for each promoter is included for the given PCI/PMI or PCIs/PMIs.

As explained in Section 7 of the call document, the annual activity reports are requested in order to verify the operational capacity of the applicants, i.e. in order to demonstrate that applicants “have the know-how, qualifications and resources to successfully implement the projects and contribute their share (including sufficient experience in projects of comparable size and nature).”Annual activity reports are requested from all applicants / potential beneficiaries of the proposal, except for “Public bodies, Member State organisations, transmission system operators certified under Directives 2019/944 (EU) or 2024/1788 and international organisations”, which are exempted from this requirement. The Annual activity report should be the activity report of the applicant organization for the previous year. It should be the regular activity report prepared for the board, shareholders, public etc., not something specifically prepared for this proposal.

Entities from countries associated to the CEF Programme or countries which are in ongoing negotiations for an association agreement and where the agreement enters into force before grant signature are eligible for funding (see list of participating countriesPDF).

Entities from other countries (not listed above) are exceptionally eligible if the granting authority considers their participation essential for the implementation of the action.

Special rules apply for certain entities (e.g. entities subject to EU restrictive measures under Article 29 of the Treaty on the European Union (TEU) and Article 215 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the EU (TFEU) and entities covered by Commission Guidelines No 2013/C 205/05). Such entities are not eligible to participate in any capacity, including as beneficiaries, affiliated entities, associated partners, subcontractors or recipients of financial support to third parties (if any).

For PMIs, applications should demonstrate under the “priority and urgency of the action” criterion that the inclusion of a third country entity is indispensable to achieve their objectives.

The procurement and tendering rules are explained in the Model Grant Agreement, Article 6 ELIGIBLE AND INELIGIBLE COSTS AND CONTRIBUTIONS: mga_cef_en.pdfPDF

There is no maximum percentage of subcontracting accepted or recommended in a proposal or by task. It is up to applicants to define what part of the action tasks will need to be subcontracted.

This depends on the procedure and how the action tasks are organised. Please make sure that public procurement requirements are fulfilled, if applicable. The affiliated entity must be part of the grant agreement in order for its costs to be eligible.

That section should include information on cooperation between promoters and the organisation of the project, so even if there is no formal consortium established, please provide information on the project participants. There is no obligation to have a consortium in this Call.

Yes. The requirement to demonstrate financial and operational capacity applies to all applicants and affiliated entities (if they act as sole implementers), except for the categories set out in Section 7 of the call text. The need to demonstrate operational and financial capacity does not apply to transmission system operators certified following the procedures laid down in Articles 52 or 53 of Directive 2019/944 (EU), or Articles 71 or 72 of Directive 2024/1788 and Joint Undertakings established in the EU which qualify as public bodies.

Compliance with EU law (e.g. environment, competition, energy infrastructure, procurement) has to be ensured in EU Member States, where EU Directives and Regulations are applicable. For third countries, where EU legislation does not apply, national legislation on the subject will be applicable and needs to be complied with.

This is under the discretion of the applicant. In the WP description, it should be clear what applicants plan to do under each WP, e.g. construction of a line, completion of a study, tender, etc. Please also consider future reporting and what would be the logic structure of WPs from the reporting point of view, throughout the lifecycle of the project. See also guidance in Application form Part BPDF 6.2 Work packages and activities. Also make sure that the presentation of the submitted budget by work package matches the presentation of the budget by cost category.

In the case of an Action taking place entirely outside of the European Union, applicants need to provide proof of the agreement of the EU Member State(s) concerned by the PCI/PMI to which the Action relates. For instance, agreement of the Member State for which the related PCI/PMI or PCI/PMI cluster has a significant cross-border impact and/or who supported the inclusion of the candidate project into the PCI/PMI list should be provided.

The agreement by the third country is not required to be submitted as part of the CEF-E-PCI-PMI application.

The application formPDF (Section 4.1. Social, environmental and other impacts, question on Cross-border dimension) should however clearly explain how the cooperation between the project promoter and the third country takes place.

The working language of the programme is English, so it is strongly recommended that key supporting documents (e.g. Letter of Support, Environmental compliance file, cost-benefit analysis, business plan, cross-border cost allocation decision) requested in the application form are also provided in English.

Where the original language of the document is in a different language, it is strongly recommended that the applicant provides a translation. A certified translation is not necessary.

Annual activity reports may be submitted in original language with a short English summary.

The list of CEF Energy Member State Contact Points is available here: energy.ec.europa.eu

Yes, provided that the Procurement procedures are in line with the requirements of the Grant Agreement and the costs are incurred and registered in the accounts within the eligible period of the grant agreement (after its start date). However, the costs related to the preparation of the tender, e.g. preparation of documents, etc., are not eligible if procurement took place before the project start as per GA.

There is no rule in CEF against subcontracting with a legal entity that has capital links with the beneficiary, as long as the public procurement directives (if applicable) and the principle of sound financial management are respected in the tender procedures.

Please note, however, that it is not possible to cross-invoice between entities in the Grant Agreement.

In grants for works, a cost category exists for costs for studies. Under this call, a works action may not include studies and therefore costs for studies are not eligible under the works topic. This has no implication for proposals under the studies topic.

The new Model Grant Agreement differentiates between ‘purchase’ costs and ‘subcontracting’ costs.

This distinction is also reflected in the budget section of the SEP submission module. 'Subcontracting' comprises the costs incurred and derived from contracts for goods, works or services that are part of the tasks of the project, which will be described in Annex I of the Grant Agreement. ‘Purchase’ is defined as contracts for goods, works or services needed to carry out the action, but which are not part of the tasks of the project (e.g. equipment, consumables and supplies).

Administrative fees, such as fees for accessing roads to bring equipment if this is done outside Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC) contracts, fees for permits and similar, may be eligible. The costs must have been actually incurred for the project and defined in the proposal/grant agreement. They may be recorded under budget category C.3 - Costs of other goods, works and services.

The MGA gives the option under Article 6.2.b, that the granting authority might approve these costs. The Granting Authority will approve these subcontracting costs incurred under the condition that they are targeting and benefitting the objectives of a project located in a Member State or target country. If it is known at the moment of grant preparation that such subcontracting costs will be incurred, they will be described in Annex I of Grant Agreement. If they are not known at the moment of the Grant Agreement preparation, the approval may also be given by exchange of letters at the moment of the payment claim (REPA). The approval of such subcontracting does not mean prior approval of the actual costs as this will be done when the costs are declared in a payment claim.

The CBCA should rely on the guidance that is already available when the CBCA is adopted, for instance the ACER Recommendation No 02/2023 of 22 June 2023 on good practices for the treatment of the investment requests, including Cross Border Cost Allocation requests, for Projects of Common Interest.

The conditions for applications for grants for works are set out in Article 18 of the TEN-E Regulation , especially paragraphs 2 and 4. Electricity storage projects need to provide a cross-border cost allocation (CBCA) decision in line with Articles 16 and 18(2)(b). This applies to storage projects that are regulated and financed through the national tariff systems. Electricity storage projects that are not regulated need to meet, by analogy, the requirements of Article 18(4), as it should not be possible for them to request a CBCA decision. In particular, they need to obtain “an evaluation carried out by the relevant national authority or, where applicable, the national regulatory authority” to demonstrate significant positive externalities and lack of commercial viability (see Q&A ID 40165 for the relevant national authority requirement)). Hydrogen storage projects are subject to the requirements applying to hydrogen projects in Article 18(2), i.e., they need to apply for a CBCA decision in line with Articles 16 and 18(2)(b), or “where they do not fall under the competence of national regulatory authorities and therefore they do not receive a cross-border cost allocation decision”, they need to demonstrate that “the project aims to provide services across borders, brings technological innovation and ensures the safety of cross-border grid operation” (see Q&A ID 40192 for the three cumulative alternative criteria for non-regulated hydrogen).

No. The TEN-E Regulation does not include among eligible categories CO2 storage assets. Only surface and injection facilities associated with them (Annex II. (5)(c) are eligible. Therefore, only such elements are eligible in relation to CO2 storage facilities

Ancillary costs, such as site preparation, delivery, and installation costs could be considered eligible equipment costs if these costs are accounted as capital expenses as part of the cost of bringing the fixed asset into use and included in the amount to be depreciated.

Works, including those related to excavation, are considered subcontracting when there is a contract with an external contractor (third party) to carry out the works.

See also FAQ ID 17690 ec.europa.eu

This depends on whether the infrastructure element is considered as equipment necessary for the project implementation or part of the infrastructures to be constructed (part of the project itself). If it is an output/deliverable of the project, the beneficiary which is constructing the infrastructure will normally own it and costs will be eligible. If it is considered as equipment or material, it has to be necessary for implementing the action and its purchase included in the project budget, in order to be eligible as a project cost.

Travel should be considered as travel – ticket and subsistence allowances – irrespective of its purpose. Equipment is on the other hand the necessary tools, machines or material to carry out the project, directly purchased, not the travel linked to the purchase or maintenance.

There is no relationship, both are independent. Usual purchasing practices, following sound financial management principles and respecting applicable procurement rules, are allowed, irrespective of the requested EU contribution percentage.

It is not possible to apply for funding for the same action or activities, in order to exclude any double funding, but it is possible to apply for funding for a different activity or different part of the PCI.

This depends on how you have defined this in the Work Package. Project dissemination costs may be eligible, if defined in the grant agreement and necessary for the implementation of the project. It is up to applicants to define which entity is executing the task and incurring such costs.

Yes, provided that the procedures are in line with the requirements of the Grant Agreement and the costs are incurred and registered in the accounts within the eligible period of the grant agreement (after its start date).

However, the costs related for example to the preparation of the tender, e.g. preparation of documents, etc., are not eligible if procurement took place before the project start as per GA. Please verify as well if applicable procurement rules allow amendments of contracts already signed, and under what scope and conditions.

CEF Energy as per definition of “Works” in the TEN-E/CEF regulations co-funds works only until commissioning. Therefore, the costs for OPEX, including insurance costs, penalties, buying of energy, personnel cost and other costs during the operation of the battery are not eligible for funding.

No, since CO2 shipping is not covered by the TEN-E Regulation, these activities are not eligible under this call.

For proposals selected for funding, the specific start date of the project will be set out in the Grant Agreement. The call document (section 10) states that the earliest possible date for such project start date (for incurred costs to be eligible) is the proposal submission date.

No, there is no minimum size regarding the requested CEF financial contribution and/or total budget for proposals submitted under the CEF Energy Programme.

No. There is no need to have an investment request or a CBCA decision to apply for grants for studies. This requirement is only for applications for works, when applicable (PCIs and PMIs falling under categories set out in Article 24 and in point (1)(a), (b), (c), (d) and (f) of Annex II and point (3) of Annex II of the TEN-E Regulation (EU) 2022/869).

The CEF Regulation (EU) 2021/1153 of 7 July 2021 establishes in its Article 10.2 that actions eligible in accordance with its Article 9 may include synergetic elements relating to any of the other sectors (…) provided that they comply with all of the following requirements: (a) the cost of the synergetic elements does not exceed 20 % of the total eligible costs of the action; (b) the synergetic elements relate to the transport, energy or digital sector; and (c) the synergetic elements enable the socioeconomic, climate or environmental benefits of the action to be significantly improved. Such synergetic elements should be described in Section 1.4 of application form BPDF and the cost thereof should be indicated as part of the budget table per budget categories. No specific examples are provided in the CEF Regulation, but they could relate to assets allowing synergies between the energy sector and the transport sector (as co-funded under the CEF-Synergy call for proposals held in 2016) or with the digital sector.

No, costs for acquisition of property rights and easement are not eligible.

In each case the declaration should be filled in, but the level of detail can be different. The declarations reflect the current state of play of your project. Applicants need to mention in the form if an EIA has already been carried out.

If the Action involves works or any type of physical intervention, the competent authority in the Member State in question needs to sign the declaration for monitoring of NATURA 2000 sites to certify that there is no impact on NATURA 2000 areas. The authority that needs to sign the Declaration on NATURA 2000 is the national authority responsible for the monitoring of NATURA 2000 areas under national law. This is not necessarily the Ministry which is supporting the submission of the application in Letter of support. The designation of the responsible authority for NATURA 2000 falls under the responsibility of each Member State.

The CBA and the Business Plan should be the CBA and the Business Plan for the PCI/PMI. Applicants are expected to submit the PCI/PMI's CBA and the Business Plan even if the proposal is for an action/project that covers only part of the PCI/PMI. The Letter of Support (MS Agreement), the Environmental Compliance File, and the TEN-E Compliance Form should be specific for the proposed action/project.

There is no business plan template as such provided. A financial spreadsheet template is provided, but it is optional (not mandatory). It is not obligatory to use our template, you can use another one. Applicants need to make sure the information is updated and reflects the latest status of your project.

The applications related to smart grids PCI/PMIs shall contain information about the specific technologies to be implemented in the project description (section 0), inter alia type of technology, applicability, aimed outcome and expected location. Likewise, the contribution of the project to achieve any of the CEF-Energy policy objectives (integration of an efficient and competitive internal energy market, interoperability of networks across borders and sectors, decarbonisation of the economy, promoting energy efficiency and ensuring security of supply) shall be quantified when possible in the section 4.1 (Social, environmental and other impacts) of the application form.

As stated in the call document, it is considered that the EU added value of a project has already been demonstrated by its inclusion in the PCI / PMI list. Therefore, the justification of the EU added value of the PCI/PMI as such does not need to be repeated. Applicants should reply to this question from the point of view of the studies or works specific proposal in order to realise the PCI/PMI.

Annexes can only be uploaded in the format defined on the Portal:

• Detailed budget table per WP (CEF) - xls,xlsx,ods
• All the other annexes must be in PDF

Yes. These documents are needed for the operational capacity check which is applicable to Distribution System Operators (DSO).

Only public bodies, Member State organisations, transmission system operators (TSOs) certified under Directives 2019/944 (EU) or 2024/1788 and international organisations are exempted from the operational capacity check and therefore from the obligation to submit such annual reports.

There is no maximum requested EU contribution or suggested one. Please make sure that your proposal includes sufficient justification for the estimated costs and requested CEF-Energy funding and the budget is appropriately sized for the envisaged work packages and tasks.

Please list and briefly describe the authorisations and permits which will be necessary for the implementation of the project. If dates for obtaining them are not known yet, please include whatever information is available at the time of the proposal, even if it would be an estimate.

Questions under point 2 of Section I of the Environmental Compliance FileWord ask for detailed information on the development consent, where applicants must clearly explain the administrative steps already undertaken and when the development consent is expected. If other documents requested in this Environmental Compliance File are not yet available due to pending development consent, this must be clearly indicated and explained in the application.

Please note that the lack of environmental permits may have an impact on the maturity of the proposed Action during the evaluation phase. It may also lead to specific conditions regarding the fulfilment of environmental legislation being included in the individual grant agreement, if the proposal is selected for CEF funding.

A request for CEF funding may be submitted before or after the FID is taken. There are no specific requirements regarding the timing of the FID.

Yes, in principle it is possible to include activities relating to the study which affect an electricity substation lying along the path or at either end of a high voltage (HV) line which is on the PCI and PMI list, provided that such substation is part of the technical description of the PCI/PMI.

Yes. In principle, there are no restrictions to the number of applications to be submitted for the same PCI/PMI, therefore it is possible to submit two applications – whether for works+studies or studies+studies - relating to the same PCI/PMI under the same call for proposals.

Please note, however, that all proposals will be assessed against the award criteria and notably the criterion on maturity of the action with regards to the developmental stage of the project, based on the PCI/PMI implementation plan.

If the construction and operation of such an installation is not research-related, but part of the preparatory studies necessary to carry out further design and design studies for the implementation of a PCI/PMI, such costs may be included in a studies proposal. The proposal should explain the need for such installation and justify its relation with the PCI/PMI implementation.

If the two PCIs/PMIs in a cluster are complementary (such as an interconnector and an internal line) and are in a similar stage of development, we strongly recommend submitting a joint application. In the application, both PCIs/PMIs to which the proposal relates should be clearly identified by means of selecting the relevant PCIs/PMIs from the drop-down list in application form part A. However, if the two PCIs/PMIs are in different stages of development or maturity, we recommend submitting two separate applications.

The section is applicable for both, but the information to be provided is different. For studies, applicants need to provide information on the overall financial situation and maturity of the project. For works, applicants need to provide additional information regarding the type of project finance, financial ratios (internal rate of return, financial net present value) and financial model.

No, all supporting documents have to be attached to the application in the Funding & Tenders Portal.

Should CINEA nevertheless receive any documentation outside the portal, it will not be taken into consideration. In order to ensure transparency and fair treatment of all proposals, each proposal will be assessed and evaluated on its own merits, based on the information that it contains.

A grant may be awarded for an action that has already begun, provided that the applicant demonstrates the need for starting the action prior to signature of the grant agreement, but no costs can be reimbursed for activities that took place before the starting date, which cannot be earlier than the proposal submission date.

The action should be mature, meaning that it should be ready to start in the short term. As stated in the call text, the maturity of the action is one of the award criteria against which each proposal will be assessed (section 9 of the call document).

The Environmental compliance file and the TEN-E compliance file should be submitted also for studies without physical intervention.

No. However, please note that, according to Article 9.7 of the TEN-E Regulation (EU) 2022/869, the project promoter, or, where national law so provides, the competent authority, has to establish and regularly update a dedicated website with relevant information about the project of common interest, which shall be linked to the Commission website and the transparency platform referred to in Article 23 and which shall meet the requirements specified in point (6) of Annex VI. Commercially sensitive information shall be kept confidential. Project promoters shall also publish relevant information by other appropriate information means to which the public has open access.

If several project promoters are involved in the implementation of the proposed action and will be incurring costs in connection with it, they should all be included as applicants in the proposal. In this case, it is mandatory to designate a coordinating applicant.

In case only one project promoter will be involved in the implementation of the proposed action and incurring costs in connection with it, the application should clearly explain how cooperation between the project promoters will be ensured. It is not necessary to include a formal delegation of the responsibility by the other project promoters in the application, but it is recommended to demonstrate how the cooperation between the project promoters will be ensured, as part of the information provided in the application forms.

Studies with physical interventions are studies that imply interventions such as destructive tests, excavations, etc. aimed to define and develop a project fully and decide on its financing or final design. Typically, laboratory tests or tests of similar nature that have no impact on soil, air or water, would not be considered as having physical interventions. Additional examples of "physical interventions" can also be found in the Annex I and II of the EIA DirectivePDF.

It is the responsibility of the applicant(s) to determine the nature of the submitted action and work packages in light of the applicable definitions.

The main externality applicable to cross-border CO2 network projects is innovation. Other externalities in the meaning of CEF (in particular, security of supply and system flexibility) are considered to be less applicable to this kind of projects.

System Flexibility as a positive externality refers to project’s effects contributing to increase the ability of the EU energy system to adjust to the variability of generation and consumption patterns across relevant market timeframes.

To be deemed a positive externality the effect in question must not be fully captured by the tariff system. This can result, amongst other things, from the project’s contribution to flexibility not being fully incorporated in the tariff methodology or manifesting outside the scope of the concerned tariff system, that is, in another Member State.

The assessment of the impacts on system flexibility should specify their time horizon (short-term or long-term) and countries concerned. These impacts should be monetised and quantified to the extent possible, while any qualitative assessment should be directly linked to projects characteristics and design.

Promoters should identify externalities by country concerned (e.g. non -constructing countries), and monetarily quantify them to the extent possible, either in its CBA or through an assessment carried out by the relevant national authority or, where applicable, the national regulatory authority.

Applicants must meet three cumulative requirements, namely that: the project aims to provide services across borders; brings technological innovation; and ensures the safety of cross-border grid operation. Promoters are expected to elaborate on how they comply with the three criteria in their CEF application form: Technical part (Part B), section 4 (Impact). Regarding the first requirement (“aiming to provide services across borders”), promoters should notably elaborate on: the Member States benefiting from the project; the order of magnitude / dimension of the service provided (e.g., in terms of volume or capacity made available across borders). Regarding the second requirement (“bringing technological innovation”), promoters should notably elaborate on: the innovative aspects of their projects, for example in comparison with other projects, in terms of the technology used, and / or by reference to technology-readiness levels (TRL). Regarding the third requirement (“safety of cross-border operation”), promoters should notably elaborate on: the identification of risks, and the measures deployed to ensure a safe operation across borders.

There is no earmarking of funds or prioritization of any specific project category. The evaluation is a comprehensive assessment taking into account the objectives of the call and evaluating all proposals on an equal basis with respect to the award criteria. As indicated in the call text, in line with article 3(2)(b) of the CEF Regulation (EU) 2021/1153, this call for proposals puts priority on technologies and PCI/PMIs contributing to the decarbonisation of the economy. The indicative budget is also indicated in the call text, while a certain budget flexibility is possible within the multiannual work programme.

There is no obligation to stick to the exact scope of a previous feasibility study carried out for the PCI. However, the result of previous studies would normally be taken into account when defining further stages of the project. Furthermore, we will also look at any previous studies funded by CEF or other EU funds to make sure that there is no double funding.

See also: ec.europa.eu

These are two different but related things. Deliverables are the project outputs, the main results of the action activities, e.g.: documentation for the detailed Environmental Impact Studies, engineering design study, commissioning of the transmission line.

Means of verification are on the other hand proof of completion of milestones and are meant to allow checking the action progress, e.g.: written notification of the contractor to the beneficiaries, publication of the tender notice in the OJEU, Contractor's progress report approved. The list of means of verification of an action may include deliverables, if they allow to measure progress or completion of milestones, but not necessarily.

The number of milestones per work package will depend on the complexity of each work package. There is no maximum established for the call. As a rule of thumb, each work package should have at least two milestones, one at the start and one at the end. In Work packages that last more than a year, there should ideally be at least one milestone every 12 months.

Yes. Please check also:

ec.europa.eu

Such an entity may apply if the eligibility criteria related to the applicant and the project as described in the work programme and in the call for proposals are met, i.e. the company is involved in the implementation of an action related to one of the projects of common interest on the PCI list and it obtained the agreement of the concerned Member State.

Applicants need to demonstrate positive externalities in their project specific cost-benefit analysis drawn up pursuant to Article 16(4), point (a), of the TEN-E Regulation. They should provide evidence concerning the existence of significant positive externalities, such as security of supply, system flexibility, solidarity, or innovation.

The existence of significant positive externalities is one of the eligibility criteria for grants for works. Applicants for Works proposals have to provide information on positive externalities as part of the application form BPDF, under the Impact criterion.

In principle yes, unless the CBCA decision itself contains a validity date or a provision on the need to revise it under certain conditions, or is not applicable anymore due to relevant changes in the project characteristics, costs, benefits, etc. The TEN-E Regulation does not provide for the expiration of a CBCA decision, nor does it for its revision. In line with Article 16(3) of the TEN-E Regulation, project promoters shall keep all concerned national regulatory authorities (NRAs) regularly informed (at least once per year until the project is commissioned) of the progress and the identification of costs and impacts associated with it. However, relevant changes to the project, which are likely to have an effect on the CBCA decision (e.g., cost overruns or changes in benefits), should be notified to the concerned NRAs. In particular, if the CBCA decision was prepared on the basis of a cost-benefit analysis which is not in line with the latest CBA prepared in the framework of the PCI/PMI selection process or is not consistent with ENTSO-E/ENTSOG methodology, the CBCA Decision may need to be updated. NRAs should confirm in such case whether the CBCA Decision remains applicable in its current terms, or it needs to be revised or updated.

Yes, state aid rules apply. In the Application form Part B, Section 2.2, you are requested to provide information on state aid.

After the call closure, statistics on the number of proposals received and the total requested funding will be available in the call updates on the call page in the EU Funding and Tenders Portal.

Yes, if the CEF financial assistance is requested for different actions and these can be clearly defined and differentiated - such as a feasibility study and a detailed engineering study - it is possible to request grants for studies more than once for the same PCI/PMI, including under the same call.

Please note however that it is recommended that such studies are combined in the same proposal, if submitted under the same call for proposals.

According to the conditions of the call, certified TSOs are exempt from demonstrating their financial and operational capacity. The date of the certification does not matter, as long as the certification decision is valid and no changes have taken place in the structure of the TSO that would require a new certification decision.

This is at the discretion of the applicant. Please consider the guidance provided in the application form B, 6.2 Work packages and activities. However, note that the Part B has a page limit of 120 pages in total.

CEF Energy may co-fund actions that are either studies or works. No mixed proposals, e.g. studies and works, can be co-funded. However, it is possible to submit more than one proposal related to the same PCI under this call. In such case, the activities of the two proposals must be clearly defined and cannot overlap.

The notions of studies and works are defined in Article 2 of Regulation (EU) 2021/1153 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 7 July 2021 establishing the Connecting Europe Facility.

• "Studies" include activities needed to prepare project implementation, such as preparatory, mapping, feasibility, evaluation, testing and validation studies, including in the form of software, and any other technical support measure, including prior action to define and develop a project and decide on its financing, such as reconnaissance of the sites concerned and preparation of the financial package.
• "Works" include the purchase, supply and deployment of components, systems and services including software, the carrying-out of development, construction and installation activities relating to a project, the acceptance of installations and the launching of a project.

See examples of actions already co-funded under CEF Energy.

Article 18(4) refers expressly to the need of a clear demonstration of “significant positive externalities, such as security of supply, system flexibility, solidarity or innovation, generated by the projects”.An important aspect of the evaluation by the relevant national authority would be the scope and intensity of those externalities, since the positive externalities must be significant for the project to be eligible for CEF funding.

Further, Article 18(4) also refers to the need for “clear evidence of the lack of commercial viability [of the project], in accordance with the cost-benefit analysis, the business plan and assessments carried out, by potential investors or creditors or, where applicable, a national regulatory authority”. The national authority should elaborate on the funding gap, i.e., the absence or insufficiency of financing solutions or contributions (such as equity, market financing, inclusion in regulated network tariffs) required for the project to be implemented without CEF funding.

The TEN-E Regulation does not define who the relevant national authority is; this is for the relevant Member States/third countries to decide. The Regulation however provides insights as to which authority this could be, in that it refers to “the relevant national authority or, where applicable, the national regulatory authority”.

It is important that this authority is well placed to make a meaningful evaluation. It would be helpful that national authority that provides the evaluation briefly explains why it considers itself to be the “relevant national authority”.

The TEN-E Regulation does not prescribe any particular form. It is therefore not necessary for the relevant national authority to issue a formal decision. For example, a letter by the authority, submitted as part of the documentation provided by the project promoters in their application, could be sufficient.

The most important point is the quality of the content of the evaluation and that it is carried out by the relevant national authority.

Third country’s authority may provide the evaluation referred to in Article 18(4). An evaluation of a Member State authority would however be required in all circumstances.

If the project is mainly carried out on the territory of one country, the evaluation should be carried out by the relevant authority of that country. This does not preclude that an authority from the other country(ies) involved in the project is consulted or involved in the evaluation or also carries out an evaluation, however this is not mandatory and an evaluation by only one, namely the relevant national authority is sufficient.

The European Commission has invited Member States to indicate the relevant national authorities for the purposes of Article 18(4) of the TEN-E Regulation, with a view to making the information readily available for project promoters that would like to apply for CEF funding for works for certain infrastructure categories. The list with the authorities that have been communicated is available on CINEA websitePDF. It will be updated as further authorities are communicated to the Commission.

The evaluation of the relevant national authority is a separate, independent document which comes additional to other mandatory documents which the project promoters have to submit, namely the cost-benefit analysis and the business plan.

The evaluation of the relevant national authority will undoubtedly be based on the documentation provided by the project promoters, but it must consist of a separate, meaningful scrutiny by the relevant national authority.

The project start date is not necessarily dependent on the Grant Agreement signature. A project may commence before the Grant Agreement is signed. Applicants should ensure and demonstrate in their proposal that the project is sufficiently mature to be funded under the present call.

The annual PCI report in accordance with Article 5(4) of the TEN-E regulation is no longer a mandatory annex for an application to be admissible. A project promoter can nonetheless decide to submit it with other annexes, if they have it available for their PCI.

The aim of the activity report is to demonstrate that an applicant has the appropriate know-how, qualifications, and resources to successfully implement the project and contribute their share (including sufficient experience in projects of comparable size and nature).

Each applicant should demonstrate that they have the appropriate know-how, qualifications, and resources. If they do not have an annual activity report, they should submit another equivalent document. If they are compelled to submit the annual activity report of their mother company or of a group of companies they belong to / operate under, they should clearly specify which parts of the report refer to them.

Affiliated entities are not required to submit annual activity reports, unless they act as sole implementers (as indicated in Q&A ID 19999).

Technical deliverable such as inspection reports can be submitted in the national language, but we would request a short technical summary in order to be able to assess it.

Actions are structured in reporting periods, which are independent from calendar years. The default reporting period for actions funded under this call is 24 months, the first one starting on the start date of the action. In the budget table per Work Package, applicants need to provide information on the budget per reporting period for each Work Package. The reporting periods for each action will be further defined and confirmed during Grant Agreement preparation.

The coordinator must send the reports on the progress of the action for information also to the Member States concerned or provide them with access to the project in the Portal, so that Member States can verify the reports themselves. Member States do not need to certify any longer the reports. The final amounts paid to the actions will be published. The Commission and CINEA will inform the CEF Committee about any changes to the grant amounts during the lifetime of the actions.

Yes, it is possible.CEF Energy grants take the form of a reimbursement of a percentage of eligible costs actually incurred. To be eligible, costs declared must comply with the eligibility criteria laid down in Article 6 of the model grant agreement.You may contract part of your Action's activities, in line with Article 9.3 of the model grant agreement.As regards the financial reporting during the Action's implementation, only eligible costs incurred for the implementation of the Action must be declared in the financial statement accompanying the cost claims, regardless of whether they are internal costs or external costs linked to contracting. The final amount of the CEF grant will be calculated on the basis of those costs found eligible. In any case, the grant will not exceed the maximum amount as specified in the Data Sheet (see Point 3) of the grant agreement. Indirect costs are not eligible under this call.

A single application may be submitted in relation to two PCIs/PMIs in the same cluster, with all relevant project promoters listed as applicants. However, in this case an application leads to a single grant agreement covering the two PCIs/PMIs.

In the case of a multi-beneficiary application, if the proposal is retained for funding, a multi-beneficiary Grant Agreement will be signed. Please note that the fact that parts of the Action to be exclusively implemented by one of the beneficiaries does not affect the liability regime under the Grant Agreement as defined under Article 22 of the model Grant Agreement and Data Sheet point 4.4 Recoveries. As regards the financial liability for recoveries (see Data Sheet point 4.4 Recoveries -Joint and several financial liability for recovery), the model Grant Agreement foresees several options. Please note that the option by default is option 1- limited joint and several liability of other beneficiaries — up to the maximum grant amount of the beneficiary.

As stated in the Call text, the percentage range is 25-50%. This will be determined individually for each project according to the specific duration of the project. As a general principle, the pre-financing amount will be calculated as the amount of the maximum EU contribution, divided by the number of reporting periods and potentially diminished by a percentage.

Applicants who need to prove their operational capacity should provide all the information that demonstrates the technical capability to successfully implement the action. This should include at least the annual activity report and proof of completion of previous projects and may include as well audited accounts if they provide additional evidence, but in principle, they are not necessary.

Please note that there is a strict prohibition of double funding from the EU budget. If some activities have not been implemented under a previous grant agreement and no costs related to these activities were declared and reimbursed under this grant agreement, then they can be included as part of another proposed Action as long as they fulfil the criteria of the new call and if the previous grant has been closed.

Applicants are requested in the application form (section 8 Declaration) to declare if the project as a whole or any part of it have benefitted from any other EU grant and are (or will be) submitted for any other EU grants.

Double funding is considered as fraud to the EU budget, which may lead to an exclusion as described under Article 7 of the call text.

As indicated in Article 16.2 of the model grant agreement, the granting authority does not obtain ownership of the results of the Action. However, as stated in the grant agreement (see Article 16.3), the granting authority has the right to use non-sensitive information relating to the action and materials and documents received from the beneficiaries (notably summaries for publication, deliverables, as well as any other material, such as pictures or audio-visual material, in paper or electronic form) for policy, information, communication, dissemination and publicity purposes — during the action or afterwards.