The European Commission has opened a new call for proposals for ground-mounted solar projects to be developed via collaboration between contributing and hosting EU member states.

It is the third cross-border solar tender announced under the EU Renewable Energy Financing Mechanism (RENEWFM). Projects in Bulgaria and Finland are eligible, with a total €54.9 million ($63.8 million) in investment support available. Luxembourg is providing the financing as the contributing member state.

Eligibility criteria states that the funding round will support ground-mounted solar projects co-located with battery energy storage systems (BESS) in Bulgaria, that are located in the districts of Pernik, Kyustendik or Stara Zagora, as well as ground-mounted solar projects in Finland located anywhere other than the region of Åland.

Support in Finland is capped at 400 MW. There is no upper capacity limit set in Bulgaria, although the solar and storage units of a project must have the same grid access point.

Each project must be a minimum of 10 MW and can be up to 100 MW in size. The selected facilities will have until Mar. 1, 2029, to begin commercial operations.

The European Climate, Infrastructure and Environment Executive Agency (CINEA), which administers the tender, is hosting a virtual information day on April 17 that will present ranking criteria and rules for grant disbursements.

Prospective bidders have until Sep. 1, 2026 to submit applications. Grant agreements are scheduled for singing in June 2027.

The EU’s first cross-border solar tender kicked off in April 2023, with Luxembourg financing and Finland hosting the projects. The funding call concluded in May 2024 with CINEA signing grant agreements with seven solar projects across Finland with a combined capacity of 212.99 MW.

A second tender launched in July 2024, covering solar in Finland and onshore wind in Estonia, again with Luxembourg providing the finance. In May last year, grant agreements were signed for seven solar projects and two wind projects, with a total capacity of 445.65 MW.

Bulgaria installed 1.4 GW of solar last year, taking total capacity to just below 6 GW. Finland added 227 MW of utility-scale solar last year, a record in a calendar year for the country.

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