The European Commission has approved a €66 million Finnish scheme to support the production of renewable methane and methanol to help transition to a zero-emissions economy, according to EUreporter.
The scheme was approved under the state aid Temporary Crisis and Transition Framework adopted by the Commission on 9 March 2023. The new Framework amends and partially extends the Interim Crisis Programme adopted on 23 March 2022 to enable Member States to support the economy in the current geopolitical crisis, which had already been amended on 20 July 2022 and 28 October 2022.
The scheme will be fully funded by the Recovery and Resilience Fund. The scheme will provide assistance in the form of direct grants to cover investment costs. The aim of the scheme is to support the development of renewable methane and methanol production to facilitate the transition to a zero-emission economy.
The Commissioners consider that the Finnish programme fully complies with the conditions laid down in the Interim Framework for Crisis and Transition. In particular, the aid will be granted on the basis of a scheme with an estimated capacity and budget. The amount of aid will be set administratively based on the investment costs of each supported project, which shall not exceed 45 per cent of the total investment costs of the project. The aid will be granted until 31 December 2025.
The Commission concluded that the scheme is necessary, appropriate and proportionate to accelerate the green transition and facilitate the development of certain economic activities, which are of importance to implement the REPower EU Plan and the Green Deal Industrial Plan, in line with Article 107(3)(c) TFEU and the conditions set out in the Temporary Crisis and Transition Framework. On this basis, the Commission has approved the scheme in accordance with the EU State aid rules.
