Alternative Fuels Infrastructure Facility - Unit Contributions

The CEF-T-2024-AFIFCOEN call, under the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF), aims to promote the deployment of alternative fuel infrastructure to support the decarbonization of transport within the Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T). The total indicative budget for this call is EUR 220 million, with multiple cut-off dates planned for September 24, 2024, June 11, 2025, and March 4, 2026.

Eligible applicants include public and private Charge Point Operators (CPOs) and e-Mobility Service Providers (e-MSPs), provided that they have incurred installation costs and registered the infrastructure. The projects must support electric recharging infrastructure for light-duty and heavy-duty vehicles, as well as hydrogen refueling stations, and ammonia or methanol facilities for maritime and inland waterway transport.

The funding mechanism is primarily based on grants, specifically under a blending model that combines EU grants with financial support from financial institutions. Applicants are required to secure at least 10% of the project cost from a financial institution to ensure project viability. The grant covers the deployment phase rather than just research, focusing on projects that are actively being rolled out.

An important aspect of the application process involves several stages, including admissibility checks, eligibility verification, and evaluation based on predetermined criteria. The call has seen promising success rates, with the first round showing that 8 out of 10 proposals were successful, translating to an 80% success rate.

The eligibility for funding is geographically tied to the TEN-T network, which encompasses all EU member states, enabling a wide scope for potential projects. Additionally, updates to the call have adjusted eligibility criteria, clarified eligible activities, and provided essential timelines and requirements for successful grants.

Overall, this initiative significantly contributes to the EU's commitment to sustainable transport and the development of necessary infrastructure for alternative fuels, encouraging collaboration among various stakeholders across member states. Applicants are advised to comprehensively review the call documentation and comply with all necessary guidelines to increase their chances of securing funding.

The CEF-T-2024-AFIFCOEN call, under the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF), aims to support the deployment of Alternative Fuel supply infrastructure, contributing to decarbonising transport along the TEN-T network. The call is specifically focused on the Cohesion envelope. The type of action is CEF-AFIF-EVRI-UN, which refers to CEF AFIF-EVRI Unit Grants, utilizing the CEF Unit Grant [CEF-AG-UN] model grant agreement.

The call opened on 29 February 2024 and has multiple cut-off dates: 24 September 2024, 11 June 2025, and 4 March 2026, all at 17:00:00 Brussels time. The indicative budget for this call is EUR 220,000,000.

Eligible actions include those supporting the roll-out of electricity recharging infrastructure for Light-Duty Vehicles (LDV) with a minimum power output of 150kW and Heavy-Duty Vehicles (HDV) with a minimum power output of 350kW. Costs related to vehicles are not eligible.

A call update on 10 March 2025, adjusted the AFIF Call text, postponing the third cut-off date to 4 March 2026, clarifying eligibility criteria for maritime and inland waterway vessels supplied by hydrogen refuelling stations and ammonia or methanol facilities, and modifying the extension principle for projects funded with unit contributions.

An earlier call update on 13 February 2025, provided evaluation results, indicating that out of 10 submitted proposals, 9 were admissible and eligible, with 8 being successful. The total CEF contribution for these successful proposals amounted to EUR 90,205,500.

A call closure update on 7 October 2024, stated that the call closed on 24 September 2024, with 10 proposals submitted, broken down into 3 proposals for CEF-T-2024-AFIFCOEN-COSTS and 7 proposals for CEF-T-2024-AFIFCOEN-UNITS. Evaluation results were expected in Q1 2025.

An update on 23 May 2024, announced that electric charging in public bus depots is now eligible for funding.

The list of Implementing Partners is being updated as new Administrative Agreements are signed with the European Commission for the period 2024-2025.

Admissibility conditions are described in section 5 of the call document, while proposal page limits and layout are described in Part B of the Application Form available in the Submission System. Eligible countries are detailed in section 6 of the call document, along with other eligibility conditions. Financial and operational capacity and exclusion criteria are in section 7. Submission and evaluation processes are in section 8 and the Online Manual. Award criteria, scoring, and thresholds are in section 9. The indicative timeline for evaluation and grant agreement is in section 4, and the legal and financial set-up of the grants is in section 10.

Key documents include the call document CEF-T-2024-AFIFCOEN, the Application form (Parts A and B), the Calculator (CEF-T UN AFIF-EVRI), a Timetable (Gantt Chart), a Letter of support (MS agreement), an Environmental compliance file, Financial approval letters (IP and non-IP), a Simplified CBA calculator (CEF-T), and a List of Implementing Partners. The Model Grant Agreement is the CEF Unit Model Grant Agreement. Additional documents include the CINEA guide on economic appraisal for CEF-T transport projects, the Work Programme 2021-2027 (CEF-T), CEF Regulation 2021/1153, TEN-T Regulation 2024/1679, and EU Financial Regulation 2024/2509.

LEARs, Account Administrators, and self-registrants can publish partner requests. The Electronic Submission Service can be accessed via the submission button, and existing draft proposals can be accessed through the Funding & Tenders Portal.

For help, contact CINEA-CEF-TRANSPORT-CALLS@ec.europa.eu or consult the Funding & Tenders Portal FAQ, the IT Helpdesk, or the Online Manual.

The call includes two topics: CEF-T-2024-AFIFCOEN-COSTS (CEF-INFRA CEF Infrastructure Projects) and CEF-T-2024-AFIFCOEN-UNITS (CEF-AFIF-EVRI-UN CEF AFIF-EVRI Unit Grants).

There are 34 partner search announcements available.

The call provides answers to frequently asked questions (FAQ) covering various aspects such as eligibility of financial institutions, safe and secure parking areas, Environmental Impact Assessments, authorization processes, financial contributions, loan conditions, multi-applicant proposals, monetary transfers, budget establishment, existing financing agreements, due diligence, bank guarantees, state-owned companies, loan scope, public transport operators, multi-state projects, cohesion and non-cohesion deployments, credit facilities, existing loans, TEN-T road network definition, recharging pool definition, urban node definition, power output measurement, HDV/LDV access, cohesion envelope eligibility, form merging, intragroup financing, recharging station location detail, own resources financing, project starting date, upgrading of recharging stations, reservation systems, equity financing, parallel power output, and definitions of LDV and HDV.

In summary, this call aims to bolster the deployment of alternative fuel infrastructure along the TEN-T network, focusing on electric recharging infrastructure. It provides funding through unit grants and infrastructure projects, emphasizing the need for financial support from financial institutions. The call has undergone several updates, including adjustments to eligibility criteria and deadlines. Applicants should carefully review the call documents and FAQs to ensure compliance with all requirements. The call is structured to support the EU's decarbonisation goals in the transport sector by promoting the adoption of alternative fuels.

Eligible Applicant Types: Public or private Charge Point Operators (CPOs) and e-Mobility Service Providers (e-MSPs) are potentially eligible, as long as they have incurred the installation costs and the infrastructure has been registered. Other eligible applicant types are described in section 6 of the call document. Implementing Partners, public or private financing institutions, banks, leasing companies, guarantee funds, mutual guarantee institutions, and promotional banks are also mentioned in the context of financial contributions.

Funding Type: Grant. The call provides CEF contribution for successful proposals. It is also a blending call, combining EU grants and financial support from a financial institution.

Consortium Requirement: The text does not explicitly state whether a consortium is required. However, it mentions "multi-applicants proposal" and "partners from different Member States," suggesting that consortia are possible and perhaps encouraged.

Beneficiary Scope (Geographic Eligibility): Legal entities established in one of the Member States eligible for funding from the Cohesion Fund are eligible for the Cohesion envelope. Eligible countries are further described in section 6 of the call document. The call supports projects along the TEN-T network, implying a focus on EU member states participating in this network.

Target Sector: Transport, specifically alternative fuels infrastructure. This includes electricity recharging infrastructure for Light-Duty Vehicles (LDV) and Heavy-Duty Vehicles (HDV), hydrogen refuelling stations, and ammonia or methanol facilities for maritime and inland waterway vessels.

Mentioned Countries: The call is focused on the TEN-T network, which spans across the European Union. The text mentions "Member States" generally, and also refers to "Cohesion Member States" which are eligible for funding from the Cohesion Fund.

Project Stage: Deployment. The call focuses on supporting the roll-out of alternative fuel supply infrastructure.

Funding Amount: The indicative budget is EUR 220,000,000. The total CEF contribution for successful proposals from the first cut-off was EUR 90,205,500. A financial contribution of at least 10% of the project cost from a financial institution is required.

Application Type: Open call with multiple cut-off dates.

Nature of Support: Money. Beneficiaries will receive grants.

Application Stages: The application process involves admissibility checks, eligibility checks, and evaluation based on award criteria. The indicative timeline for evaluation and grant agreement is described in section 4 of the call document. There are multiple cut-off dates, implying multiple evaluation rounds.

Success Rates: For the first cut-off, 8 out of 10 submitted proposals were successful. This suggests a success rate of 80%, but this may not be representative of future cut-offs.

Co-funding Requirement: Yes. A financial contribution of at least 10% of the project cost from a financial institution (Implementing Partner or non-Implementing Partner) is required. Projects financed only by own resources will not be considered admissible.

Summary:

The CEF-T-2024-AFIFCOEN call, under the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF), aims to support the deployment of alternative fuel supply infrastructure along the Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T). The call targets the decarbonisation of transport by funding projects that roll out electric recharging infrastructure for light and heavy-duty vehicles, as well as hydrogen, ammonia, and methanol refuelling infrastructure for maritime and inland waterway transport. The call has a total indicative budget of EUR 220 million and operates with multiple cut-off dates.

Eligible applicants include public and private Charge Point Operators (CPOs) and e-Mobility Service Providers (e-MSPs), provided they have incurred the installation costs and the infrastructure is registered. Projects must be located within the TEN-T network and align with the objectives of deploying alternative fuels infrastructure. A key requirement is that projects must secure a financial contribution of at least 10% of the project cost from a financial institution, making this a blending call. The call encourages collaboration, as evidenced by the partner search announcements and the possibility of multi-applicant proposals. The application process involves several stages, including admissibility and eligibility checks, followed by an evaluation based on predefined award criteria. The call text has been updated several times, including the addition of electric charging in public bus depots as an eligible activity and clarifications on eligibility criteria for maritime and inland waterway vessels. The call is managed by CINEA, and detailed information, including call documents, application forms, and FAQs, are available on the Funding & Tenders Portal. The call closed on September 24, 2024, and the evaluation results are expected to be communicated in Q1 2025.