Project selection
Article 8
1. Eight projects falling under Part A.I of Annex I and one project in each project subcategory specified in Part A.II of Annex I shall be funded. However, where resources allow, further projects may be funded while maintaining the balance between CCS and RES demonstration projects. Where no more than two proposals are submitted in a given subcategory, the Commission shall assess the possible impact of the limited number of proposals on the competition for selection under this Decision, and may, where appropriate, decide to postpone award decisions in the relevant subcategory to the second round of calls for proposals. 2. Projects shall be ranked in order of increasing cost-per-unit performance. CCS demonstration projects shall be ranked as a single group. RES demonstration projects shall be ranked within each of the subcategories specified in Part A.II of Annex I. For the purposes of the first subparagraph, cost-per-unit performance shall be calculated as the sum of the amounts specified in Article 5(3)(b) and (c), divided by the total projected amount of CO 2 stored in the first 10 years of operation for CCS demonstration projects, or, the total projected amount of energy produced in the first 5 years of operation for the RES demonstration projects. Where the relevant Member States confirm, pursuant to Article 5(5), that there is a sufficient public funding for CCS demonstration projects, the highest ranked projects shall be selected in order of their ranking, provided all the following criteria are met: (a) at least one project and at most three projects are selected in each project category; (b) at least three projects with hydrocarbon reservoir storage are selected; (c) at least three projects with saline aquifer storage are selected. Where those criteria are not met, the project under consideration for selection shall not be selected, and the next highest ranked project shall be considered for selection. The procedure shall be repeated until eight projects are selected. Where the relevant Member States confirm, pursuant to Article 5(5), that there is a sufficient public funding for RES demonstration projects, the highest ranked project in each subcategory shall be selected. Where, in either of the rounds for calls for proposals there are no eligible and financially and technically viable projects in one or more project subcategories, a corresponding number of additional projects shall be funded in other subcategories of the same project category. Details shall be specified in the call for proposals pursuant to Article 5(1). The selected CCS demonstration projects shall collectively constitute ‘the CCS group’ and the selected RES demonstration projects shall collectively constitute ‘the RES group’. 3. By way of derogation from paragraph 1, where the total request for funding under this Decision is higher than the available funds, the number of selected projects shall be reduced so that the request for funding is reduced in the same proportion in each of the groups referred to in the third and fifth subparagraphs of paragraph 2. For each of the groups, the project representing the highest cost-per-unit performance shall be deselected first, the project representing the highest cost-per-unit performance in another category shall be deselected next. The procedure shall be repeated until the requested funding is covered by the available funds. 4. Subject to the availability of proposals submitted to the EIB pursuant to Article 5(3) and recommended by the EIB for award decisions to the Commission pursuant to Article 5(4), at least one and no more than three projects shall be funded within one Member State. However, the first subparagraph shall not apply to transboundary projects.