Call for Energy Communities published

PRESS RELEASE

Start of Renewable Energy Communities in the earthquake-hit Apennines

To protect the quality of the environment, to improve the economic and social living conditions of citizens, to fight energy poverty thanks to savings on electricity bills, and to promote the settlement and return of families and businesses in the areas affected by post-earthquake reconstruction through ecological transition.

In the municipalities of the Apennines affected by earthquakes in 2009 and 2016, and in advance of the measures expected by the national NRRP, the plan to finance new renewable energy production plants and promote the sharing of production and consumption between public bodies, businesses and citizens is ready to go.

In fact, the call for proposals of the NextAppennino programme was published today, financed by the National Fund complementary to the National Renewable Energy Plan for the earthquake areas, which makes 68 M€ available to the municipalities and territorial authorities of the two earthquake areas to promote the creation of Renewable Energy Communities, bodies in which all participants, such as municipalities, companies, businesses, and citizens, share the energy produced by their renewable plants, such as photovoltaics, enjoying self-consumption and substantial discounts on the bill for any energy taken from the grid.

Both territorial public entities and administrations and Energy Communities being set up by the same entities are eligible for contributions. In this case, or if the promoting entities undertake to create sharing systems or district heating networks, the non-repayable contribution is equal to 100% of the expenditure envisaged by the project. In the case of the construction, modernisation or upgrading of renewable production facilities, the contribution granted to entities is limited to 50% of the expenditure.

With the funds received, the beneficiaries will also be able to finance the possible purchase of the installations of the private members of the REC, establishing the mechanisms in the Community regulations.

Expenditures eligible for public contribution are: project assistance, purchase of production plants and components, connection works, costs for electrification of consumption, purchase of energy accumulation systems, consumption monitoring, flow management, assistance for the definition of agreements for the management of REC.

The bonus criteria established by the call for bids to define the ranking of projects admitted to the contribution favour those open to the participation of the largest possible number of private entities, which envisage the construction of new plants from 500 to 999 kW, and in the smallest municipalities, those up to 3,000 inhabitants. Also rewarded are those municipalities that guarantee the best balance between energy consumed and energy produced, penalising those where consumption is much lower than the capacity of the new plants.

The latter may be built both in the areas already available to the administration that submits the application, and in those of private parties that enter into specific agreements with the administration within the REC. A good organisation of the Community guarantees advantages for all: self-consumption of the energy produced, the reduction of transmission charges, directly in the bill, on the shared energy, income from the sale of energy fed into the grid (distributed among the members according to the agreements of the REC), and those linked to the incentive on the energy produced and consumed instantaneously.

The notice, with all the attached documentation, can be downloaded from the NextAppennino website (https://nextappennino.gov.it/), on the website of the Commissario Sisma 2016 (https://sisma2016.gov.it/bando-comunita-energetiche), and on the site of the Struttura di Missione Abruzzo 2009 (http://sisma2009.governo.it/).

Applications can be submitted from 30 September to 31 October by sending a pec to the e-mail address energia.pncsisma@pec.governo.it. Any requests for information, clarification or assistance can be sent to the e-mail address energia.sismapnrr@governo.it.

The 2016 Commission Structure and the 2009 Technical Mission Structure will approve the list of eligible applications and beneficiaries by 15 December. The evaluation of the projects will be carried out by a special Evaluation Committee, in which Regions and Municipalities are also represented.

At the same time as the call for proposals, in cooperation with Legambiente, initiatives will be launched to promote and provide information on the call for proposals, renewable energies and Energy Communities. Information and assistance can also be requested at the regional Legambiente desks.

Rome, 20 September 2022

The Press Office

Extraordinary Commissioner for Earthquake Reconstruction 2016

Presidency of the Council of Ministers