Granting of EEPR assistance
1. EEPR assistance for offshore wind projects shall be awarded following a call for proposals limited to the actions that implement the projects listed in Part B of the Annex.
2. The Commission shall call for proposals to identify the actions referred to in paragraph 1 and shall assess the compliance of these proposals with the eligibility criteria laid down in Article 13 and the selection and award criteria laid down in Article 14.
3. The Commission shall inform the beneficiaries of any EEPR assistance to be granted.
Eligibility
1. Proposals shall be eligible for EEPR assistance only if they implement the projects listed in Part B of the Annex, do not exceed the maximum amount of EEPR assistance laid down therein and fulfil the selection and award criteria under Article 14. Those projects shall be led by a commercial undertaking.
2. Proposals may be submitted by one or several undertakings, acting jointly.
3. Proposals submitted by natural persons shall not be eligible.
Selection and award criteria
1. In assessing the proposals received under the call for proposals referred to in Article 12(1), the Commission shall apply the following selection criteria:
(a)
the soundness and technical adequacy of the approach;
(b)
the soundness of the financial package for the full investment phase of the project.
2. In assessing the proposals received under the call for proposals referred to in Article 12(1), the Commission shall apply the following award criteria:
(a)
maturity, defined as reaching the investment stage, and incurring substantial capital expenditure by the end of 2010;
(b)
the extent to which lack of access to finance is delaying the implementation of the action;
(c)
the extent to which the project improves or increases the scale of installations and infrastructures that are already under construction, or are in the planning phase;
(d)
the extent to which the project includes the construction of full-size and industrial-scale installations and infrastructures, and addresses in particular the following matters:
(i)
the balancing of the variability of wind electricity through integrative systems;
(ii)
the existence of large-scale storage systems;
(iii)
the management of wind farms as virtual power plants (more than 1 GW);
(iv)
the existence of turbines placed further from the shore or in deeper waters (20 to 50 m) than is currently standard;
(v)
novel sub-structure designs; or
(vi)
processes for assembly, installation, operation and decommissioning and testing of these processes in life-size projects;
(e)
the innovative features of the project and the extent to which it will demonstrate the implementation of such features;
(f)
the impact of the project and its contribution to the Community’s offshore wind grid system, including its replication potential;
(g)
the commitment demonstrated by the beneficiaries to disseminate to other European operators the results of technological advances made by the project in a manner compatible with Community law and in particular with the objectives and structures outlined in the Strategic Energy Technology Plan for Europe.
Funding conditions
1. EEPR assistance shall contribute to project-related expenditure for the implementation of the project.
2. EEPR assistance shall not exceed 50 % of the eligible costs.
Instruments
1. Following the call for proposals referred to in Article 12(1), the Commission, acting in accordance with the management procedure referred to in Article 26(2), shall select the proposals to receive EEPR assistance and determine the amount of funding to be granted. The Commission shall specify the conditions and methods for the implementation of the proposals.
2. EEPR assistance shall be granted on the basis of grant agreements.
