Lisbon, Aug. 11, 2025 (Lusa) - The European Commission's Compete2030 grant to support investment projects in Portugal in strategic areas for the energy transition of companies, with a budget of €1 billion, is open for applications until 8 September, the Government announced on Monday.
“Companies of any size and from across the country are eligible for this grant, which will support projects such as the production of batteries, solar panels, wind turbines, heat pumps and carbon storage equipment,” said the Ministry of the Economy and Territorial Cohesion in a statement.
Applications will be reviewed by the Portuguese Agency for Investment and Foreign Trade (AICEP), and in addition to projects for the production of the equipment listed above, or parts for such equipment, projects for the production and recovery of critical materials for the production of equipment and components essential to various industries are also eligible for support.
On 27 September, the European Commission approved €1 billion in state aid from Portugal in the form of direct grants to selected companies to support investment in “green” equipment such as batteries, solar panels and wind turbines.
“The European Commission has approved a €1 billion Portuguese scheme to support investments in the production of equipment necessary to promote the transition to a zero-impact economy, in line with the Industrial Plan of the Green Deal. The scheme was approved under the Temporary Crisis and Transition Framework for State Aid,” the institution said in a statement at the time.
Brussels argued that “the Portuguese scheme is necessary, appropriate and proportionate to accelerate the green transition and facilitate the development of certain economic activities”, which is why it gave its approval under the more flexible EU rules on public aid for green objectives.
Specifically, Portugal asked the European Commission for authorisation to proceed with direct grants, to be awarded by 31 December 2025 at the latest, to "support investments in the production of relevant equipment necessary to promote the transition to a zero-impact economy".
European competition rules normally prohibit this type of state aid to prevent unfair competition in the European Union, but due to the effects on the economy of the war in Ukraine caused by the Russian invasion, the EU adopted a temporary framework in March 2023 with greater scope for such aid to be granted, in particular to enable “green” investments.
These “lighter” EU rules cover measures to accelerate the deployment of renewable energy, facilitate the decarbonisation of industrial production processes and accelerate investment in strategic sectors for net-zero emissions.
MPE/AYLS // AYLS
Lusa
