Aid programme for energy efficiency measures on agricultural holdings Grant

About this grant

The programme funds energy efficiency and renewable energy works on agricultural holdings in Spain. It responds to the rising energy demand of Spanish agriculture, which in 2018 consumed about 2,500 ktep, or 3.2% of national final energy demand, above the EU average of 2.2%. The programme aims to cut final energy consumption by renewing obsolete equipment such as heat generators, climate control, lighting, pumps and motors, and by replacing conventional energy in thermal installations with renewable thermal energy. The page cites a reduction of about 30% in energy use from these measures. The Real Decreto 149/2021 sets two lines of aid. Action 1 covers efficiency improvements in irrigation systems, mainly pump replacement, variable-frequency drives, control and monitoring systems, and capacitor banks. Action 2 covers efficiency and renewables in agricultural holdings, including building envelope works, thermal installations, heat recovery and district heat connections, switching to renewable heat (solar thermal, biomass, geothermal, aerothermal, hydrothermal or heat pumps), lighting, and motor renewal. Replacing a thermal generator with a fossil-fuel one is not eligible, and irrigation works that increase water use or irrigable area are excluded. The total programme budget is EUR 30,000,000, drawn from the Fondo Nacional de Eficiencia Energética and distributed among the autonomous communities, which manage the calls and applications. The budget was later increased by IDAE resolutions of 9 June 2023 and 20 December 2023. The aid covers up to 30% of eligible cost for each action. The application period in the autonomous communities ran from their individual call dates until 31 December 2023, so the call described on this page is closed.

Eligibility

Final recipients may be natural or legal persons, public or private, who hold an agricultural holding. Irrigation communities and other bodies managing shared water or energy for agricultural use are eligible, as are holders of irrigated farms that rely on electrically powered irrigation networks and recognised agricultural producer organisations or associations. Renewable energy communities and citizen energy communities qualify under EU directives 2018/2001 and 2019/944, provided at least one partner holds or benefits from the agricultural holding. Energy service companies (ESEs) may apply if they act under a contract with the property owner and carry out eligible investments, and they must prove their ESE status and the investment. The programme is implemented in Spain and applications go to the autonomous communities.

Key requirements

• ✓Applicants must operate agricultural holdings in Spain and apply through their autonomous community's call
• ✓Eligible works include efficiency upgrades and renewable thermal installations; replacing a thermal generator with a fossil-fuel one is excluded
• ✓Irrigation works that increase water use or irrigable area are excluded; aid covers up to 30% of eligible cost

Frequently asked questions

Who can apply for Aid programme for energy efficiency measures on agricultural holdings?

Eligibility covers organisations in ES; sme, cooperative, individual. See the eligibility criteria above for the full conditions.

Relevant sectors

About this sector

Energy efficiency funding covers building retrofits, industrial process upgrades, heat recovery, efficient equipment and demand reduction. It arrives as grants for audits and capital works, as support schemes run by agencies and utilities or as public tenders for retrofit and energy services. Applicants usually need a baseline of current energy use and a measured saving.