The Vice President and Minister for Energy Transition, Productive Sectors and Democratic Memory, Juan Pedro Yllanes, reported Friday that the Government has opened the calls for the Investment Plan for the Energy Transition of the Balearic Islands (PITEIB) for the decarbonisation of the marine sector and for the promotion of renewable generation facilities in ports for a total amount of 25 million euros.

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The deadline for submitting applications is 30 June 2023 or until the possible exhaustion of the economic amount allocated to the calls. Applications must be submitted exclusively online through the website http://energia.caib.cat. In the case of applications for the decarbonisation of the nautical sector, interested parties must access: https://www.caib.es/govern/sac/fitxa.do?codi=5488408&coduo=2390767&lang=can

As for the promotion of renewables in ports, access at:https://www.caib.es/govern/sac/fitxa.do?codi=5484892&coduo=2390767&lang=can

Applications for subsidies will be resolved as they enter the register.

During the visit to Nauta Morgau, a company that promotes the decarbonisation of the nautical sector with the manufacture of electric boats, Yllanes pointed out that “the electrification of boats and the decarbonisation of ports is in line with the objectives set by the Government of the Balearic Islands, the State Government and the European Union. Mobility is one of the major emitters and from the Government, we want to facilitate its decarbonisation, which must also be linked to a process of penetration of renewables in ports. The Government is looking to the sea to reduce emissions and be more sustainable, and this does not mean, under any circumstances, increasing the Islands’ nautical fleet, but rather replacing it with a more sustainable one.

Finally, Yllanes pointed out that “the Mediterranean is ground zero for climate change, and that is why we must carry out all the necessary actions to care for and protect it. These 25 million euros in resources go in this direction and include the necessary environmental and sustainability perspective in a sector that still has a long way to go.

For his part, the Director General of Energy and Climate Change, Pep Malagrava, explained that “with these investments, we can promote the manufacture of zero-emission boats in the Balearic Islands to improve the sustainable industrial fabric of the community, as well as the acquisition of boats for individuals and companies, and also electric propulsion systems for existing boats. In addition, the aim is to support innovative projects in the sea, which can also be an asset in the energy transition, both in the production and storage of renewable energy in relation to the sea, such as the use of marine energy in ports or renewable hydrogen applied to maritime mobility. The Government’s objective is clear, and every step we take is a milestone we achieve to make our islands and their sea a better place. Most boats are recreational and recreation cannot be a source of greenhouse emissions, so we propose that there should be no new boats since if you want to buy a new one, you will have to decommission an old one”.

The CEO of Nauta Morgau, Marc Balaguer, explained that “this is undoubtedly an important commitment to the decarbonisation of the nautical sector and at Nauta Morgau we want to emphasise the fact that it is not only necessary to apply it to propulsion. The desire to reduce emissions also means being brave and going further to leave behind the construction techniques used in recent decades, which were comparatively more economical than the traditional ones, but which over the years have more than demonstrated the high environmental cost they cause. It is important not to miss this unique and exceptional opportunity to rebuild the island’s shipbuilding industry, incorporating zero-emission production into its core. It must be borne in mind that to be truly energy efficient, an electric vessel must have been conceived and designed for this type of propulsion. In any field, designing from scratch (conception, production, raw materials, …), with sustainability criteria, is an obligation in the 21st century to reduce both emissions and the energy consumed during the production, useful life and recycling process”. “Another production model is possible. As a society and out of responsibility it is necessary to give all the support to companies that are making a huge effort of resources in investment and R & D to provide solutions to the current requirement with an eye to the future,” he added.

Aid for decarbonisation in the nautical sector (15 million)

The purpose of this call is to promote the decarbonisation of the marine industry with the aim of the electrification of maritime transport, to support the transformation or acquisition of small vessels, the acquisition of machinery by shipyards and workshops necessary for the transformation into zero-emission vessels.

The grant provides for four incentive programmes which can be subsidised as follows:

Incentive Programme 1 provides for the acquisition of new zero-emission vessels, up to twelve metres in length, for registration on the sixth or seventh list of the Spanish vessel registration register and which completely scrap a vessel with propulsion using fossil fuels.
Incentive Programme 2 is aimed at converting vessels registered on the sixth and seventh lists of the Spanish register of vessels using fossil fuels for conversion to zero-emission vessels.
Incentive Programme 3 includes a provision of the necessary infrastructure for the activity of converting conventional boats or ships into zero-emission vessels.
Finally, with regard to Incentive Programme 4: the transformation of existing vessels and ships, including vessels and ships that carry out maritime transport of goods or passengers for tourism or recreation, as well as professional fishing vessels.

Aid for the promotion of renewable energies in ports (10 million)

The purpose of this call is to approve and regulate aid for renewable generation in the ports of the Balearic Islands with photovoltaic, wind, wave or marine technology, electric storage, electric recharging infrastructure and renewable hydrogen for electric or hydrogen boats and ships, in order to increase the production of renewable electricity, reducing energy consumption and CO2 emissions.

Thus, taking into account that four categories of ports are established, regardless of the administration on which they depend, broken down into four categories, this subsidy line includes 5 incentive programmes.

Under Incentive Programme 1, investments in new electricity production facilities using photovoltaic technology with a peak power of up to 5 MWp and/or wind power with an installed power of up to 1 MW for self-consumption, and which are located, both the production facility and the associated consumption facilities, in ports located in the Balearic Islands, are eligible for subsidy.
With regard to Incentive Programme 2, it is established that investments in new lithium-ion storage systems with a capacity of up to 5,000 kWh located downstream of the metering equipment and where both the production installation and the associated consumption installations are located within the territorial scope of the Balearic Islands are eligible for subsidy. Batteries from the reuse of electric vehicle batteries (second life of batteries) are also eligible under this programme.
Incentive Programme 3 provides subsidies for investments in new electricity production facilities using wave technology or harnessing sea energy with an installed capacity of up to 1 MW for self-consumption or not, and which are located, both the production facility and the associated consumption facilities, within the territory of the Balearic Islands.
Incentive Programme 4 provides that new battery recharging systems for electric boats or ships are eligible. Likewise, recharge management systems and the adaptation of existing supply infrastructure for electric recharging are also eligible.
Finally, Incentive Programme 5 provides for the subsidisation of new green hydrogen supply infrastructure for boats and ships. This infrastructure may include renewable hydrogen production.
The PITEIB

The Investment Plan for the Energy Transition of the Balearic Islands (PITEIB), endowed with 233 million euros, 197 million of which are managed directly by the Balearic Islands Government, includes a 70-million-euro programme focused on addressing the main challenges of insularity, such as sustainable mobility, decarbonisation of the sea and the water cycle.

These two open calls presented this Friday totally 25 million euros and are included in the action packages of investment 2 (I2) “Sustainable energy on the islands” of component 7 (C7) “Deployment and integration of renewable energies”, within the actions planned in the Investment Plan for the Energy Transition of the Balearic Islands.