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EU, EBRD offering 60 million euros to Romanian SMEs for energy efficiency projects
The European Union and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) are offering 60 million euros to Romanian small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) for sustainable energy and energy efficiency projects, Director General of Tractebel Engineering Daniela Scripcariu, the organiser of an event called 'Sustainable development - priorities, developments and solutions,' told Agerpres on Thursday.
'The programme run by the EU and EBRD is providing 60 million euors in funds for actions that will increase energy efficiency and small-scale renewable energy projects, with the funds to be managed by Romanian banks,' said Scripcariu.
She added that for the time being there are three banks having joined the programme - BRD, BCR and Banca Transilvania - but in the near future more banks are likely to follow suit, so that the EBRD may exhaust the funding facility in about three years.
The project carried out by Tractebel Engineering is designed to bring together the interested parties: the small and medium-sized enterprises that could join the programme and qualify for funds, on the one hand, and the banks that can offer funding, on the other.
'This is about companies employing less than 250 people with a business turnover of RON 50 million or assets worth RON 43 million, from virtually all fields of business, except for tobacco, gambling, defence service and financial and banking companies, none of which are eligible,' explained Daniela Leonte, director of the Tractebel Engineerig department in charge with the management of the project.
According to RoSEFF Deputy Project Manager Amelia Giantaru, there are currently investment projects for the rubber and plastics industry being implemented and waiting for the approval of banks to get funds.
'This project virtually means free consultancy for companies in order to identify technical solutions, drawing up a technical study for the banks and the EBRD and applying for a loan for the eligible investment and even for a grant, which means a subsidy of between 10 and 15 percent of the loan, depending on the energy savings generated by the project, but capped at 150,000 euros per project, which the companies receive at the end of the project implementation,' said Giantaru.
On Thursday, a first session of a project called 'Sustainable Energy Funding Facility for Romanian SMEs' was held to discuss emerging priorities in the areas of sustainable development, as well as solutions to fund sustainable development investments.