A budget of 1 billion euros for alternative fuel vehicle recharging infrastructure projects

The European Commission launched on 29 February a call for proposals under the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) for Transport Programme: The Alternative Fuels Infrastructure Facility (AFIF). With a budget of 1 billion euros, CEF AFIF 2024-2025 call supports the implementation of alternative fuel supply infrastructures along the Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T). Following the first AFIF call (2021-2024), the second call, which will end in 2025, will focus on electric recharging stations, hydrogen refuelling stations and ammonia/methanol refuelling points along the main transport corridors of the European Union.

“CEF AFIF is a significant opportunity for alternative fuel supply infrastructure deployment projects to contribute to boosting sustainability in European transport, encouraging the adoption of cleaner and more efficient technologies in the sector,” says Sergio Úbeda, leader of the Transport and Mobility knowledge area at Zabala Innovation.

Projects eligible under the CEF AFIF 2024-2025 call

The call covers projects with applications in road transport, maritime transport, inland waterways, rail transport and aviation. In addition to support for electric and hydrogen charging stations, new funding opportunities are presented, such as support for megawatt charging stations for heavy duty vehicles, electric and water infrastructure at airports, and electricity supply and bunkering facilities for ammonia and methanol at ports.

To be eligible, projects must have received prior approval from the Member States where they will be implemented, and a pre-agreement with an Implementing Partner or a financial institution established in the EU to guarantee a loan to support the project. Applicants can submit their proposals by three different deadlines: 24 September 2024, 11 June and 17 December 2025. The European Commission and the Climate, Infrastructure and Environment Executive Agency Europe (CINEA) will conduct the evaluation of the proposals.

Applicants will receive the evaluation approximately four months after the submission deadline, and grant agreements will be signed within nine months after this date.

Background and funding of the CEF

This programme is part of the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) Transport programme, which plays a key role in funding high-performing and sustainable projects on trans-European transport networks. With 25.6 billion euros available in grants from the EU budget over the period 2021-2027, CEF Transport has supported more than 1,450 projects since 2014, totalling 36.3 billion euros. Under the first AFIF call, EU support took the form of 1.3 billion euros which funded 131 projects.

CINEA will organise a virtual information day in the coming weeks to provide more details on this call.