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9.41 million euros SME programme for reducing CO2 emissions
The Romanian small and medium enterprises (SME) that develop programmes for reducing CO2 emission through energy saving will benefit of foreign financing up to 700,000 euros from the 'Industrial Energy Efficiency Programme for SMEs.'
The overall amount of the programme stands at more than 9.41 million euros; it has been launched at a specialized conference on Monday.
The programme is financed through the Financial Mechanism of the European Economic Area (EAA) carried out by the Ministry of Economy, in its capacity of Programme Operator; its specific goal is to reduce the CO2 footprint by energy saving in the industry and by reducing the greenhouse gas emissions.
According to its authors, the 'Industrial Energy Efficiency Programme for SMEs' gives priority to the programmes that result in the greatest cuts of the CO2 emissions, based on the financial allocations to the grants programme (tonnes of CO2/1000 euros).
The programme amounts to 9,411,765 euros, out of which 8,235,294 euros are EAA funds, and 1,411,765 euros comes from co-financing; this is a grant-type financing.
The grant minimum is 200,000 euros per project, and the maximum is 700,000 euros. The estimated application period for projects is between January and April 2014; the programme will be carried out between 2013 and 2016.
The Donor States of this programme (Norway, Iceland, and Liechtenstein) have signed a Memorandum of Agreement with Romania, designating the Ministry of Economy as Programme Operator for the 'Energy Efficiency' Programme financed by the EAA Financial Mechanism approved on October 1, 2013.
The launching conference of the new financing programme has been held on Monday in Bucharest; it was the first out of four similar events in February, the next ones being those in Cluj-Napoca (central Romania), Timisoara (west), and Iasi (northeast).
The European goals, and implicitly Romania's are to cut down greenhouse gas emissions by at least 20 percent until 2020, on a 1990 basis; to increase the proportion of renewable energy in the European Union's overall consumption by 20 percent; and to increase energy efficiency by 20 percent.