Belgian federal government launches Energy Transition Fund call for 2023

On 9 November 2023, the Belgian federal public service for the economy (“FPS Economy”) launched the 2023 call for projects under the Energy Transition Fund (ETF) (Dutch I French). The ETF aims to encourage innovative research and development projects in Belgium’s energy sector. The ETF is broadly able to support investment in three areas: renewable energy and biofuels; nuclear energy; and supply security and network. However, biofuel- and hydrogen-related projects are not within scope of this call and nuclear energy is not the priority. All candidates must notify their intention to apply for the funding by 14 December 2023 and the deadline for submission of proposals is 23 January 2024.

Focus areas for the call

• Renewable energy sources in the exclusive economic zone of the Belgian North sea and biofuels. Targeted topics:
  • Optimisation of existing offshore wind farms;
  • Dismantling, repurposing, and recycling of offshore wind turbines;
  • Sustainable design for offshore energy and innovative materials for offshore wind turbines;
  • Building infrastructure for the testing of renewable energies at sea; and
  • Advanced data handling and sensor technologies.
• Security of supply and stability of the transmission network. Targeted topics:
  • Pilot projects focusing on limiting grid imbalance and renewable energy production and the effects on the transmission system network;
  • Development of energy storage infrastructure on a large scale to reduce balancing costs and increase flexibility;
  • Developing and testing numerical applications to fully exploit the potential linked to flexible demand, to support the balancing of the electrical network;
  • Demonstration projects that aim to use flexible capacity to support the transport network, and the balancing of the electrical grid;
  • Technologies that aim to implement an offshore electrical grid, and its interaction/integration with the onshore grid; and
  • A zero waste, carbon neutral flexible energy system at the lowest cost possible. 

Eligibility

The call is open to all legal entities established under Belgian law and to legal entities from other EU member states, Norway, and the United Kingdom.

Budget 

A total budget of EUR 15 million is available for the 2023 call. A minimum subsidy of EUR 100,000 and a maximum subsidy of EUR 5 million may be awarded per project, according to the following subsidy percentages:

• Fundamental research (TRL 1): 100%;
• Feasibility studies (TRL 2): 50%;
• Industrial research (TRL 3-5): 50%; and
• Experimental development (TRL 6-7): 25%.

How can we assist?

Deloitte Belgium's Gi3 team can provide businesses with tailored and expert advice on how to develop and obtain funding for energy projects in line with the scope of the current energy transition fund call. We can provide complete assistance from project evaluation and feasibility analysis to full support for proposal preparation and submission.