European Commission Awards €2.9 Billion for 61 Net-Zero Projects Across Europe
The European Commission has awarded €2.9 billion from the EU Innovation Fund to 61 major net-zero projects across 18 Member States, supporting the large-scale rollout of carbon capture, clean fuels, renewable hydrogen, and industrial decarbonisation.
Funded by revenues from the EU Emissions Trading System (ETS), the projects together are expected to cut 221 million tonnes of CO₂-equivalent over their first decade of operation — equivalent to the annual emissions of nearly 10 million cars. While the full call supports a wide range of initiatives, the largest projects focus on industrial-scale decarbonisation, including Europe’s first zero-water cement plant, shared CO₂ capture networks, and commercial e-fuel production facilities.
Flagship Projects Driving Industrial Transformation
The majority of awards target hard-to-abate sectors, with full-scale systems now moving from pilot to commercial deployment. Among the standout projects:
AirvaultGoCO₂ (France): Europe’s first net-zero, zero-water cement plant, combining full carbon capture with biomass fuels and circular water use.
ANTHEMIS (Belgium): A deep-inland CO₂ capture and transport project achieving up to 98 % capture efficiency, linking to offshore storage via the North Sea.
DREAM (Italy): A national-scale CCS network for the cement industry, using existing gas pipelines to transport CO₂ to offshore storage.
APOLLOCO₂-LT (Greece): An open-access carbon hub connecting emitters across South-Eastern Europe for cross-border transport and storage.
LUXIA (Spain): A major green hydrogen, methanol, and ammonia complex, part of the Andalusian Green Hydrogen Valley.
ENDOR (Denmark) and ReSTart (France): Two large-scale sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) facilities, supplying renewable jet fuel to major European airports.
Together, these projects mark a turning point for European heavy industry — demonstrating that decarbonisation at scale is now achievable through commercial technologies and integrated value chains.
Record Demand and Next Steps
The 2024 Innovation Fund call attracted 359 applications requesting over €21.7 billion, underscoring intense competition for EU support. The 61 selected projects were assessed on their potential to deliver rapid, deep emissions cuts, replicable designs, and cross-sectoral impact.
EU Commissioner for Climate Action Wopke Hoekstra said:
“These large-scale projects prove that Europe can lead in industrial decarbonisation. They show climate ambition and competitiveness can go hand in hand.”
The projects will now enter the grant-preparation phase with the European Climate, Infrastructure and Environment Executive Agency (CINEA), with final agreements expected by mid-2026. With this latest round, the Innovation Fund portfolio exceeds €15 billion, reinforcing its position as one of the world’s largest financing programmes for clean industrial innovation.