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Grant Analysis

Purpose & Target

This grant, part of the Alternative Fuels Infrastructure Facility (AFIF), aims to support the deployment of alternative fuel supply infrastructure to help decarbonize transport along Europe's Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T). It's designed to facilitate the shift towards cleaner energy for heavy-duty vehicles, public transport, rail, maritime, and inland waterway vessels. This is a SECTOR-SPECIFIC grant, focusing exclusively on the energy and transport sectors, particularly for infrastructure development. The primary target recipients are organizations involved in the planning, development, and implementation of alternative fuel infrastructure. While specific organization types and sizes aren't detailed, the nature of the projects implies a focus on enterprises and public bodies with the capacity to undertake significant infrastructure projects, potentially collaborating with SMEs. The geographic scope is primarily the EU member states connected by the TEN-T network, though an exact list of eligible countries is not provided in the materials. This call has multiple cut-off dates, indicating a recurring opportunity within its active period.

Financial Structure

This grant operates on a co-funding rate basis, meaning applicants are expected to cover a portion of the project costs, although the specific co-funding percentage is not provided in the available information.

Total Indicative Budget: The overall call (CEF-T-2024-AFIFGEN) has an indicative budget of EUR 780,000,000. This budget covers both the 'COSTS' topic (this grant) and the 'UNITS' topic within the same call. No minimum or maximum grant amount per individual application is specified.
Eligible Costs: The grant supports a wide range of costs related to the deployment of alternative fuel infrastructure. This includes:
- Electricity recharging infrastructure for Heavy-Duty Vehicles (HDVs) with high power outputs (minimum 150kW, 350kW, and 1MW).
- Hydrogen refuelling infrastructure for HDVs, public transport (bus depots), railways (under specific conditions), and shunting locomotives in terminals.
- Hydrogen refuelling and electricity recharging infrastructure specifically for inland waterway and maritime vessels, port operations vehicles/equipment, and airports.
- Bunkering infrastructure for ammonia and methanol supply to maritime and inland waterway vessels, and port operations vessels, specifically in TEN-T maritime and inland ports.
- Costs related to the production of green hydrogen for transport purposes can be eligible as 'synergetic elements', subject to specific conditions detailed in Section 10.6 of the Work Programme (which is not provided).
Ineligible Costs: Generally, costs related to vehicles or vessels are not eligible. However, a specific exception exists: if an initial number of vessels is needed to kick-start the use of the supported recharging/refuelling infrastructure, the eligible cost for these vessels is limited to the difference in cost between a fossil-fuel vessel and the zero-emission vessel(s).
Financial Guarantees/Reporting: Details on payment schedules, financial reporting requirements, or financial guarantees are not specified in the provided information.

Eligibility Requirements

The provided grant information refers to a separate 'call document' for detailed eligibility criteria, which was not supplied. Therefore, specific hard, non-negotiable formal criteria are not available in these materials.

Eligible Organization Types: Not explicitly defined in the provided JSON. Typically, grants for infrastructure deployment are open to a broad range of entities including 'ENTERPRISE', 'PUBLIC' bodies, and potentially 'SME's involved in the transport, energy, or construction sectors.
Specific Qualifications/Certifications: Not specified, but implied by the technical nature of infrastructure deployment. The full call document (Section 6) would contain these details.
Organizational Size/Capacity: Not specified. However, the scale of the projects suggests a need for organizations with significant capacity and resources.
Geographic Location: The grant targets infrastructure deployment along the TEN-T network. While this implies EU member states and possibly associated countries, an explicit list of eligible countries is not provided in the current information (referred to Section 6 of the call document).
Track Record/Experience: Not specified, but generally expected for large infrastructure projects.
Partnership/Consortium Requirements: Not explicitly stated as 'required', though the grant allows for partner search, suggesting that consortia are permitted and may be beneficial.
Exclusion Criteria: Information on exclusion criteria and financial/operational capacity is referred to Section 7 of the call document, but details are not provided.

Application Process

The application process for this grant involves multiple cut-off dates, allowing for several submission opportunities.

Submission Deadlines: The latest and final submission deadline for this call is 2026-03-04. Previous cut-off dates were 2024-09-24 and 2025-06-11.
Submission Platform: Applications must be submitted through the Funding & Tenders Portal, using specific forms provided within the Submission System. Draft proposals can be accessed via the 'My Proposals' page in the 'My Area' section of the portal.
Required Documentation: Applicants must prepare and submit the following materials:
- Application form (Parts A and B)
- Detailed budget table per Work Package (WP)
- Timetable (Gantt Chart)
- Letter of support (MS agreement) – This implies Member State endorsement is required.
- Environmental compliance file
- Financial approval letter (from Implementing Partner or non-Implementing Partner)
- Simplified CBA calculator (CEF-T)
Evaluation Timeline: For the cut-off date of 2025-06-11, evaluation results were expected to be communicated in Q1 2026. An indicative timeline for evaluation and grant agreement is generally described in Section 4 of the call document, which is not provided for the latest cut-off.
Application Assistance: Support is available via email ([email protected]), the Funding & Tenders Portal FAQ, IT Helpdesk, and an Online Manual.

Evaluation Criteria

The grant materials state that the award criteria, scoring, and thresholds are described in Section 9 of the complete call document, which was not provided. Therefore, detailed evaluation criteria are not available in these materials. However, based on the grant's objective and scope, it is highly likely that proposals will be evaluated on: * Impact: Contribution to decarbonizing transport, deployment of alternative fuel infrastructure, and alignment with TEN-T network goals. * Quality and Relevance: The technical soundness of the proposed infrastructure, its feasibility, and its alignment with the grant's specific focus areas (e.g., HDV charging, hydrogen refuelling, maritime bunkering). * Efficiency: Cost-effectiveness of the proposed solutions. * Innovation: While not explicitly stated, innovation in alternative fuel technologies or deployment methods may be a positive factor. * Sustainability: Beyond direct decarbonization, broader environmental benefits and long-term viability of the infrastructure will likely be considered. * Cross-cutting themes: Decarbonization and climate action are central to this grant.

Compliance & Special Requirements

Compliance and special requirements are crucial for this grant, although many specific details are referred to external documents not provided.

Regulatory Compliance: Projects must adhere to relevant EU regulations, including the CEF Regulation 2021/1153, the TEN-T Regulation 2024/1679, and the EU Financial Regulation 2024/2509. Specific requirements for permits and authorizations are implied but not detailed.
Environmental Compliance: An Environmental compliance file is a mandatory submission requirement, indicating a strong emphasis on adherence to environmental standards.
Ethical Standards: Not explicitly detailed, but generally expected in EU-funded projects.
Intellectual Property (IP) Policies: Not specified in the provided materials.
Risk Management: Not specified.
Unique Aspects: A key unique aspect is the specific eligibility of costs for zero-emission vessels (limited to the cost difference over fossil-fuel vessels) when needed to kick-start the use of supported infrastructure. Additionally, the eligibility of green hydrogen production costs as 'synergetic elements' underscores the integrated approach to alternative fuel supply.
Strategic Alignment: Strong alignment is required with EU goals for transport decarbonization and the development of the TEN-T network.
Cross-cutting considerations: Decarbonization and the transition to sustainable transport are at the core of this grant.

Grant Details