EU ‘Recovery Fund’ Plans €230 Billion for Green Mobility and Energy

May 23, 2020 (EIRNS)—The European Commission has earmarked fully 20% of the European Union’s “Recovery Fund” for “emissions-friendly mobility.” The amounts include up to €60 billion as incentives for producing cars with a low emissions footprint, €20 billion for building a grid of loading stations for e-cars, and €40 billion for railway projects including the development of transport corridors.

A meeting for discussing this is planned for next week, before which there is no agreement between EU member governments about the fund in principle, nor on the details.

Another big chunk of the “Recovery Fund,” in the range of 24% or €130 billion, is to be spent on a tender program for 15 Gigawatts of renewable energy projects. According to leaks, this includes:

• €25 billion in grants and €65 billion of loan guarantees for building renovations including rooftop solar panels, insulation, and more efficient and/or renewable heating and cooling.

• €20 billion in grants and loan guarantees to support electrical vehicle purchases.

• €10 billion of European Investment Bank co-financing to match national governments’ funding on a 1:1 ratio for national renewables tenders.

• €10 billion in EIB loans for network infrastructure projects that support the roll-out of green hydrogen and/or renewable power.