Environment, Energy and Climate Change - Ministerstwo Funduszy i Polityki Regionalnej

Programme name

Environment, Energy and Climate Change

Programme objective

Climate change mitigated and vulnerability to climate change reduced

Programme Area

Renewable Energy, Energy Efficiency, Energy security
Mitigation of Climate Change and Adaptation
Environment and Ecosystems

Programme budget

EUR 164.7 million, including:

EUR 140 million from the EEA Financial Mechanism
EUR 24.7 million – national contribution

Programme Operator

The Ministry of Climate (MK) with the support of the National Fund for Environmental Protection and Water Management (NFOŚiGW)

Donor Programme Partners*

*Donor States of the EEA Grants: Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein

Eligible Beneficiaries

local government units and their associations
non-governmental organizations
universities
entrepreneurs (i.a. industrial enterprises and municipal companies, including energy and heat producers or owners of small hydropower plants)
other entities listed in individual calls for proposals

Project funding

Grant amount

from EUR 1 to 7 million – for calls:

- development of high-efficiency industrial cogeneration
- construction / modernization of municipal heating systems and elimination of individual heat sources

from EUR 50,000 to EUR 200,000 under the Small Grants Fund
from EUR 200,000 to EUR 5 million – depending on the call, among others for actions raising awareness on mitigation of climate change and adaptation to it by school authorities, for improving the energy efficiency of school buildings, construction of green and blue infrastructure in cities, for the use of geothermal energy and modernization of small hydropower plants

Project funding level

from 45% to 100%, depending on:

the nature of the area
maximum limits applicable in state aid regulations

Partnership at the project level with institutions from the Donor States

It is not required, however, additional points are awarded for submitting the project in partnership with entities from the Donor States.

Method of selecting projects

I. Calls for proposals

Subjects of the calls

1. Implementation of investments in green and blue infrastructure in cities

The call will support the implementation by municipalities strategies for mitigating climate change and adaptation to it. Applicants may apply for funding to increase climate resilience and to reduce emissions, e.g. in transport or other sectors, including regeneration and creation of green areas, and better management of water resources, such as water retention.

2. Actions to raise awareness of climate change mitigation and adaptation

The call will support schools 'efforts to increase students' knowledge of climate change, including the implementation of small-scale mitigation and / or adaptation measures on site.

3. Enhanced implementation of the circular economy

The call will support activities consistent with the Polish "Circular Economy Roadmap", including sustainable industrial production, sustainable consumption and the bioeconomy.

4. Implementation of ecosystem management plans

The call will support the implementation of management plans for protected areas in Poland aimed at improving the condition of endangered species and habitats. This includes i.a. counteracting ecosystem fragmentation, reducing barriers to animal movement, protecting and restoring wetlands, and maintaining good ecosystem status.

5. Increased protection against invasive alien species

The call will support activities that will reduce the inflow of invasive alien species and increase the resistance of native species.

6. Small Grants Fund

This fund was created for NGOs for activities that will protect and increase knowledge of ecosystems.

7. Increased energy efficiency in school buildings

The call will support the modernization of school buildings through comprehensive investments in the field of energy efficiency, to bring them to a "passive" or "near zero" emission standard.

8. Development of high-efficiency industrial and professional cogeneration

The call will support the modernization and construction of new cogeneration capacities, including the use of process and waste heat, to improve the energy efficiency of industry and energy production.

9. Construction / modernization of municipal heating systems and elimination of individual heat sources

The call will support the modernization of municipal heating systems, including the replacement of energy sources, where appropriate. Applicants may apply for funding for the modernization and / or construction of heat sources, e.g. development of combined heat, electricity and cooling sources, change in energy conversion technology and use of fuels, use of intelligent weather control devices, use of local renewable energy sources.

10. Construction of installations for the production of granules from wood and agricultural biomass

The call will support the construction of installations for the production of fuel from biomass from wood and agricultural residues in order to reduce energy poverty.

11. Production of geothermal energy

The call will support the construction of thermal energy production systems from deeply located geothermal deposits in places where the existence of economically useful reserves has been confirmed.

12. Increasing the efficiency of energy production in existing small hydropower plants

The call will support the modernization of existing small hydropower plants.

Schedule of calls for proposals under the EEA and Norway Grants 2014-2021

All calls for proposals have been launched and closed (as of October 2022).

Current schedule

Detailed information about calls for proposals under the Programme:

II. Pre-defined projects

In the frame of the Programme, three pre-defined projects are financed in the field of:

Strengthening the assessment of air pollution
Description of services provided by ecosystems
Building administrative capacity in the area of geothermal energy

Ad. 1

Project title: Strengthening atmospheric deposition assessment in Poland based on Norwegian experience

Project description: The project will increase knowledge about pollution that can have a negative impact on climate change and ecosystems. In particular, the project will contribute to modernizing the system for measuring and assessing atmospheric pollutants.

Project promoter: Chief Inspectorate for Environmental Protection (Główny Inspektorat Ochrony Środowiska – GIOŚ)

Donor project partner: Norwegian Institute for Air Research (Norsk institutt for luftforskning – NILU)

Grant amount: EUR 2 million

Ad. 2

Project title: Services provided by the main types of ecosystems in Poland

Project description: The project will improve knowledge about “ecosystem services” in Poland and increasing the capacity of experts, in accordance with the EU strategy for the protection of biodiversity for the period up to 2020 and the accompanying process “Mapping and assessment of ecosystem services”.

Project promoter: Department of Integrated Geography of the Adam Mickiewicz Universityin Poznań (Wydział Zintegrowanej Geografii, Uniwersytet Adama Mickiewicza w Poznaniu – UAM)

Donor project partner: Norwegian Institute for Nature Research (Norsk institutt for naturforskning – NINA)

Grant amount: EUR 1,7 million

Ad. 3

Project title: Building the administrative capacity of key stakeholders in the field of geothermal energy

Project description: The project will contribute to strengthening and increasing the geothermal capacity and skills of key stakeholders in Poland, from the public to the private sector, as well as the research environment. This is expected to lead to increased knowledge of economically useful geothermal resources and, consequently, to increased likelihood of future geothermal energy investments.

Project promoter: Mineral and Energy Economy Research Institute of the Polish Academy of Sciences (Instytut Gospodarki Surowcami Mineralnymi i Energią, Polska Akademia Nauk – PAN)

Grant amount: EUR 900,000

More information

Events

1. Signing the agreement on the “Environment, Energy and Climate Change” Programme (February 7, 2020)

2. Conference launching the "Environment Energy and Climate Change" Programme (March 3, 2020)