NER 300 programme — increasing low-carbon technologies

SUMMARY OF:

Commission Decision 2010/670/EU laying down criteria and measures for the financing of commercial demonstration projects that aim at the environmentally safe capture and geological storage of CO₂, as well as demonstration projects of innovative renewable energy technologies under the scheme for greenhouse gas emission allowance trading within the EU

WHAT IS THE AIM OF THE DECISION?

The NER 300* decision sets out the rules and conditions under which the European Union (EU) finances innovative low-carbon demonstration projects to capture and geologically store carbon dioxide (CO₂) gases. These are known as carbon capture and storage (CCS) and renewable energy sources (RES) projects.

The decision has been amended twice:

Commission Decision (EU) 2015/191 extended time limits for the final investment decision and the date of entry into operation due to the economic crisis (see Articles 9 and 11(1)).
Commission Decision (EU) 2017/2172 allowed funds not disbursed by NER 300 to be channelled to other financial instruments (InnovFin EDP and the Connecting European Facility debt instruments).

KEY POINTS

Eligible CCS projects focus on power generation and various industrial applications, such as refineries and iron and steel production.
Eligible RES projects cover bioenergy, solar power, photovoltaics, geothermal, wind, ocean, hydropower (electricity generated by moving water) and smart grids (modernised energy networks that automatically monitor energy flows).
A first call for proposals, launched in December 2012, made €1.1 billion available to 20 renewable energy projects. They were due to start operating by December 2016, a deadline which was extended by Decision (EU) 2015/191 to December 2019, including a grace period of 1 year.
A second round, organised in July 2014, awarded €1 billion to 18 RES projects and one CCS project. These were originally meant to start operating by 30 June 2018, but this deadline was extended by Decision (EU) 2015/191 to June 2021, including a grace period of 1 year. Due to the COVID-19 outbreak, the dates of entry into operation have been further extended on a project-by-project basis, with the latest date being July 2022.
No further NER 300 calls for proposals are planned. The European Commission is now focusing on the projects already selected for funding and is monitoring their progress.
By 15 July each year, EU Member States must submit a report to the Commission on the state of implementation of projects in operation. This will contain information about the amount of CO₂ stored or clean energy produced, the disbursement of the funding and the details of any significant problems.
Unspent funds from withdrawn projects under the second NER 300 call are channelled into the Innovation Fund.

WHEN DOES THE DECISION APPLY?

It has applied since 5 November 2010.

BACKGROUND

For more information, see:

NER 300 programme (European Commission)
Innovation Fund (European Commission).

KEY TERMS

NER 300: the programme was given its name because it is funded from the sale of 300 million emission allowances (rights to emit 1 tonne of CO₂) in the new entrants’ reserve of the EU’s emissions trading system. It subsidises installations of innovative RES technologies and CCS.

MAIN DOCUMENTS

Commission Decision 2010/670/EU of 3 November 2010 laying down criteria and measures for the financing of commercial demonstration projects that aim at the environmentally safe capture and geological storage of CO₂, as well as demonstration projects of innovative renewable energy technologies under the scheme for greenhouse gas emission allowance trading within the Community established by Directive 2003/87/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council (OJ L 290 of 6.11.2010, pp. 39-48)

Successive amendments to Decision 2010/670/EU have been incorporated into the original text. This consolidated version is of documentary value only.