Resource: ELENA

Description

ELENA is a European Facility aiming, through technical assistance (or Project Development Services), at supporting regional or local authorities in accelerating their investment programmes in the fields of energy efficiency and renewable energy sources. It also facilitates a broader utilization of innovative techniques, processes, products or practices enhancing their market uptake.
It supports the local and regional authorities in contributing to the “20-20-20” initiative of the EU.

Implementation

ELENA covers up to 90% of eligible costs required for technical support related to a clearly identified investment programme. To be eligible for support, costs must be necessary to carry out the investment programme.

'Eligible Costs' for Project Development Services means costs of external experts contracted by the European Investment Bank or the Final Beneficiary, or additional staff hired by the Final Beneficiary (e.g. for the setting up of project implementation units), to carry out technical assistance to facilitate the preparation, implementation and financing of the investment programme:

    * Any technical support that is necessary to prepare, implement and finance the investment programme.
          o feasibility and market studies, structuring of programmes, business plans, energy audits,  preparation of tendering procedures and contractual arrangements and project implementation units.
    * The cost of newly recruited staff assigned to develop the investment programme is an eligible cost. The staff cost corresponds to actual salaries plus social security charges and other remuneration-related costs.

Eligible costs can include value added tax, if it is documented that this tax cannot be recovered by the beneficiary.

ELENA does not cover:
However, hardware costs, such as measurement equipment, computers or office space, are excluded.

 

Information

ELENA support can be provided for the development of investment programmes or projects within the following areas:
• Public and private buildings, including social housing and street and traffic lighting, to support increased energy efficiency – e.g. refurbishment of buildings aimed at significantly decreasing energy consumption (both heat and electricity), such as thermal insulation, efficient air conditioning and ventilation, efficient lighting;
• Integration of renewable energy sources (RES) into the built environment – e.g. solar photovoltaic (PV), solar thermal collectors and biomass;
• Investments into renovating, extending or building new district heating/cooling networks, including networks based on combined heat and power (CHP); decentralised CHP systems (building or neighbourhood level);
• Urban transport to support increased energy efficiency and integration of renewable energy sources, e.g. high energy efficiency buses, including hybrid buses, electrical or low-carbon propulsion systems, investments to facilitate the introduction of electric cars, investments to introduce new, more energy-efficient concepts to improve freight logistics in urban areas;
• Local infrastructure including smart grids, information and communication technology infrastructure for energy efficiency, energy-efficient urban equipment, inter-modal transport facilities and refuelling infrastructure for alternative fuel vehicles.

Minimum investment programme size:
The objective of ELENA is to increase experience in developing investment programmes of a certain size, normally above EUR 50 million. Small projects can be supported when they are integrated into larger investment programmes. Regrouping of small projects into larger programmes allows transaction costs to be reduced and improves the “bankability” of the individual projects, which is one of the ELENA selection criteria.