freight carbon zero — 2023-03-20
News from Brussels
The European Union (EU) has pledged to provide €189m to fund the construction of 2,000 new charging points and 63 hydrogen refuelling stations along the trans-European transport network (TEN-T) for cars, trucks and buses. The funding will support 26 projects across 12 EU member states, selected according to the Alternative Fuels Infrastructure Facility (AFIF). In addition to charging points and hydrogen refuelling stations, the projects will include the electrification of ground handling services at airports.
The grants will be made up of funding from the European Transport Infrastructure Support Program and the Connecting Europe Facility, as well as contributions from financial institutions.
The AFIF was established to increase the impact of investments in sustainable transport solutions. “Applications for AFIF funding continue to increase, illustrating the transport industry’s commitment to the switch to sustainable solutions,” said EU Transport Commissioner Adina Vălean. The TEN-T trans-European transport network is a planned network of road, rail, air and water charging station connections in the European Union, complementing similar efforts in the telecommunications and energy sectors.
The EU’s financial contribution will come in the form of grants with varying co-financing rates or unit contributions, depending on whether the project is located in a country eligible for Cohesion Fund support. However, the funding has not yet been confirmed, pending approval of the selected projects by EU member states on 2023 April 13 and formal approval by the EU Commission.