Cross-border renewable energy works projects

The CEF-E-2026 is a cross-border renewable energy works project opportunity under the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) program. This upcoming funding call is focused on financing the construction, deployment, installation, and commissioning of renewable energy infrastructure projects that promote cross-border cooperation. The planned opening date for applications is February 5, 2026, with a submission deadline of March 12, 2026. Eligible applicants include public authorities, private companies, energy utilities, infrastructure operators, research institutions, and public-private partnerships from EU Member States and eligible third countries. Projects must involve consortium participation across borders, with collaboration between entities from at least two different countries necessary. The funding structure is based on a CEF Action Grant Budget-Based model, with a total budget allocation of €150 million for works projects in 2026. Individual grants typically range from €5 million to higher amounts, dependent on project size and scope. The application process is single-stage, requiring a complete proposal submission by the deadline. Support for successful applicants will be in the form of financial grants, structured into multiple disbursement tranches based on project milestones. Beneficiaries also receive technical support and guidance throughout project implementation. The projects eligible for funding should demonstrate significant energy system integration benefits, environmental sustainability, and innovation, with a specific priority given to combining and utilizing renewable energy sources. The grant supports projects that cannot proceed commercially without CEF assistance, addressing market failures in infrastructure investment. All project activities must encompass a cross-border dimension, explicitly demonstrating benefits across at least two eligible countries. Successful proposals should highlight cost savings, improvements to energy security, and contributions to the EU's climate neutrality objectives. The evaluation will examine the technical quality of submissions and alignment with the EU's energy and climate policy objectives, emphasizing projects that demonstrate cross-border cooperation and effective use of renewable energy resources. Applicants are encouraged to consult the full call document for comprehensive details on eligibility criteria, application requirements, and evaluation processes.

The EU Funding Opportunity CEF-E-2026 focuses on Cross-border renewable energy works projects under the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) program, specifically the Cross-border renewables (CEF-E-2026-CBRENEW) call. It falls under the CEF-INFRA CEF Infrastructure Projects type of action and utilizes a CEF Action Grant Budget-Based [CEF-AG] Model Grant Agreement. The deadline model is single-stage. The planned opening date is 05 February 2026, and the deadline is 12 March 2026 at 17:00:00 Brussels time.

The expected impact of this topic is to finance Cross-Border Renewable Energy Sources (CB-RES) projects. These projects should contribute to the cost-effective achievement of the goals outlined in the Clean Industrial Deal, the Paris Agreement, the EU's 2030 climate and energy targets, and the objective of climate neutrality. This aligns with recitals 5 and 30 of the CEF Regulation and the Multi-annual Work Programme. CB-RES projects are considered essential for regional and cross-border cooperation on renewables, facilitating energy collaboration as described in Article 3 of the CEF Regulation.

The objective is to promote cross-border cooperation in the planning, development, and cost-effective use of renewable energy sources. This cooperation should occur between Member States or between Member States and third countries. Projects should also integrate energy storage facilities to support the EU's long-term decarbonization strategy, complete the internal energy market, and enhance the security of supply, based on Article 7 and Annex Part IV of the CEF Regulation.

The scope of this topic includes works projects that contribute to the implementation of a CB-RES project. "Works" under CEF Energy encompass the purchase, supply, and deployment of components, systems, services including software, development, construction, installation activities, acceptance of installations, and the launching of a CB-RES project. Applications involving construction works must adhere to the specific conditions outlined in the CEF regulation for this project category. These conditions emphasize significant cost savings, benefits in system integration, environmental sustainability, security of supply, innovation, and the commercial non-viability of investments without CEF support. Works proposals related to project components covered by Article 3 of the delegated regulation are eligible. The list of components included in the CB-RES status can be found in the technical documentation supporting the Delegated Regulation that establishes the CB-RES list. Proposals can cover any element of the CB-RES status project contained in the technical documentation. Priority will be given to proposals for works related to renewables generation components over non-RES components, based on the ‘Priority and urgency’ award criterion. If a proposal includes a non-RES component, it must justify its necessity for the overall CB-RES project implementation and demonstrate its essential role in renewable energy generation.

The conditions for this call include:

1. Admissibility Conditions:The proposal page limit and layout are described in section 5 of the call document and Part B of the Application Form available in the Submission System.

2. Eligible Countries:Described in section 6 of the call document.

3. Other Eligible Conditions:Described in section 6 of the call document.

4. Financial and operational capacity and exclusion:Described in section 7 of the call document.

5a. Evaluation and award:Submission and evaluation processes are described in section 8 of the call document and the Online Manual.

€5B. Evaluation and award:Award criteria, scoring and thresholds are described in section 9 of the call document.

5c. Evaluation and award:The indicative timeline for evaluation and grant agreement is described in section 4 of the call document.

6. Legal and financial set-up of the grants is described in section 10 of the call document.

The call document and annexes include:

Call document

Application form templates:

Standard application form (CEF-E CBRENEW) available in the Submission System

Detailed budget table per WP (CEF)

Letter of support/MS agreement (CEF)

Timetable (Gannt Chart) (CEF)

CBA report (CEF-E CBRENEW)

CBA tool (CEF-E CBRENEW)

Environmental compliance file (CEF-T and CEF-E)

Business plan financial spreadsheet (CEF-E CBRENEW)

Model Grant Agreements (MGA):

CEF MGA

Additional documents:

Work Programme 2021-2027 (CEF-E)

Work Programme 2021-2027 (CEF-E) - Annex

CEF Regulation 2021/1153

EU Financial Regulation 2024/2509

Rules for Legal Entity Validation, LEAR Appointment and Financial Capacity Assessment

EU Grants AGA — Annotated Model Grant Agreement

Funding & Tenders Portal Online Manual

Funding & Tenders Portal Terms and Conditions

Funding & Tenders Portal Privacy Statement

The budget overview indicates that for the year 2025, the total budget for CEF-E-2026-CBRENEW-STUDIES (CEF-PJG CEF Project Grants) and CEF-E-2026 (CEF-INFRA CEF Infrastructure Projects) is €150,000,000. The stage is single-stage, with an opening date of 2026-02-05 and a deadline of 2026-03-12.

There are 5 partner searches available. LEARs, Account Administrators, and self-registrants can publish partner requests for open and forthcoming topics, as well as any user with an active public Person profile. The submission system is planned to open on the date stated in the topic header.

Applicants are advised to read all provisions carefully before preparing their application. For help related to this call, contact CINEA-CEF-ENERGY-CALLS@ec.europa.eu. Additional resources include the Funding & Tenders Portal FAQ, the IT Helpdesk for technical issues, and the Online Manual for a step-by-step guide.

In summary, this EU funding opportunity aims to support cross-border renewable energy projects that contribute to the EU's climate and energy goals. It focuses on financing "works" related to the implementation of CB-RES projects, including the purchase, supply, deployment, construction, and installation of necessary components and systems. The call emphasizes the importance of cross-border cooperation, cost-effectiveness, environmental sustainability, and innovation. Applicants must demonstrate the commercial non-viability of the project without EU support and justify the necessity of any non-RES components. The application process involves submitting a detailed proposal with specific documents, and the evaluation will prioritize projects that align with the EU's energy and climate objectives.

Eligible Applicant Types:The eligible applicant types are not explicitly stated in the provided text. However, based on the nature of the call, eligible applicants are likely to include entities involved in energy projects, such as energy companies, grid operators, renewable energy developers, research institutions, and public authorities. Given the cross-border nature, cooperation between entities from different Member States or Member States and third countries is expected.

Funding Type:The funding type is a grant, specifically a CEF Action Grant Budget-Based [CEF-AG]. The call falls under CEF-INFRA CEF Infrastructure Projects.

Consortium Requirement:The call promotes cross-border cooperation between Member States, or between Member States and third countries, implying that a consortium of multiple applicants is strongly encouraged, if not required. The projects must involve cooperation between at least two entities from different countries.

Beneficiary Scope (Geographic Eligibility):The geographic eligibility includes EU Member States and potentially third countries, as the call explicitly mentions cross-border cooperation between Member States or between Member States and third countries.

Target Sector:The target sector is energy, specifically renewable energy (RES) and energy infrastructure. The call focuses on cross-border renewable energy projects (CB-RES), including the planning, development, and exploitation of renewable energy sources, as well as their integration through energy storage facilities.

Mentioned Countries:The opportunity details mention EU Member States and third countries in the context of cross-border cooperation.

Project Stage:The project stage is implementation or works projects, as the call refers to "works projects contributing to the implementation of a CB RES project." This includes the purchase, supply, and deployment of components, systems, and services, as well as construction and installation activities. Therefore, the projects are expected to be in the late development or construction phase.

Funding Amount:The total budget for the call is €150,000,000. The funding amount per project will vary depending on the scope and scale of the project.

Application Type:The application type is a single-stage call, meaning applicants submit a full proposal at once. The call is forthcoming, with a planned opening date of 05 February 2026 and a deadline of 12 March 2026 at 17:00:00 Brussels time.

Nature of Support:The beneficiaries will receive money in the form of a grant to finance works projects related to cross-border renewable energy infrastructure.

Application Stages:The application process consists of a single stage, where applicants submit a complete proposal by the deadline.

Success Rates:The success rates are not explicitly mentioned in the provided text.

Co-funding Requirement:The text does not explicitly state whether co-funding is required. However, it mentions that applications related to construction works must comply with specific conditions laid down in the CEF regulation, including the commercial non-viability of the envisaged investments without CEF support. This suggests that co-funding or own resources might be considered during the evaluation.

Summary:

This opportunity is a call for proposals under the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) program, specifically targeting cross-border renewable energy (CB-RES) projects. The call aims to finance projects that contribute to the EU's Clean Industrial Deal, the Paris Agreement goals, the 2030 climate and energy targets, and climate neutrality objectives. The focus is on works projects that involve the implementation of CB-RES projects, including the purchase, supply, deployment, construction, and installation of renewable energy infrastructure and related components.

The call encourages cooperation between entities from different EU Member States or between Member States and third countries. The funding mechanism is a CEF Action Grant, with a total budget of €150,000,000 available. The application process is single-stage, with a deadline of 12 March 2026.

To be eligible, projects must demonstrate significant cost savings, benefits in terms of system integration, environmental sustainability, security of supply, and innovation. Priority will be given to projects related to renewables generation components. If a project includes non-RES components, the applicant must justify their necessity for the overall CB-RES project implementation.

Applicants should consult the call document and annexes for detailed information on eligibility criteria, application procedures, and evaluation criteria. The call is relevant for energy companies, grid operators, renewable energy developers, research institutions, and public authorities involved in cross-border renewable energy infrastructure projects.