Investment aid for the construction and operation of solar photovoltaic power plants following a call for tenders
Last update
In order to develop the construction and operation of solar photovoltaic power plants in Luxembourg, a new call for tenders for investment aid is now available to companies.
This aid applies to the installation of power plants for the production of electricity from solar photovoltaic energy and which are to be installed:
- on the external envelopes of buildings;
- in economic activity areas (ZAE sites); or
- as shade structures.
With regard to the external envelopes of buildings, a new lot has been introduced specifically for photovoltaic power plants using 'light' modules on rooftops or modules installed on facades. A distinction is made with regard to 'conventional' rooftop power plants.
The aid is awarded following a call for projects. The call for tenders is a competitive procedure: projects requesting the least amount of aid in relation to the installed capacity will be selected, within the limits of the available budget.
The call for projects:
- has a maximum budget of EUR 23 million; and
- is open from 19 July to 31 October 2024.
Applications for investment aid must be submitted via the MyGuichet.lu platform. The specifications can be found here (French, Pdf, 473 Kb). An FAQ (French, Pdf, 347 Kb) is also available.
Please note: this call for projects should not be confused with the current call for tenders aimed at awarding operating aid by means of a market premium contract. The same project cannot be tendered simultaneously in the 2 calls for tenders.
Who is concerned
All legal persons (SA, SARL, cooperatives) who:
- are established in Luxembourg;
- are engaged in an economic activity as their main occupation;
- invest in solar photovoltaic power plants; and
- meet the general conditions that apply in this matter.
Businesses in difficulty are not eligible.
Luxinnovation is the preferred contact point for businesses, and assists them in their administrative procedures. Luxinnovation can be contacted at the following email address: aides@luxinnovation.lu.
Deadlines
The first consumption of electricity produced by the plant must take place within 18 months after the aid is granted. If this time limit cannot be met for duly justified reasons beyond the company's control, more time may be granted upon written request to the ministers.
The call for projects with a maximum budget of EUR 23 million, divided into 5 lots, will run from 19 July to 31 October 2024.
How to proceed
Allowable costs
Investments related to the installation of the plant.
Operating costs and costs involved in complying with legal, regulatory or administrative requirements in force are not eligible.
The allowable costs do not include taxes or other deductions. The list of allowable costs is as follows:
- purchase and installation of electrical equipment (photovoltaic modules, inverters, junction boxes, cabling, etc.);
- purchase of the structural elements supporting the modules;
- engineering and development costs;
- setting up the connection (connection costs, transformer, civil engineering works);
- storage (with a capacity of no more than 1 kWh per 1 kWp of the plant).
Competition and project selection
For each lot, tenders received within the deadline and not eliminated under the provisions set out in the tender specifications are ranked:
- by reference aid amount Ar (specified in the application form), the lowest amount of aid per installed capacity (EUR/kWp);
- in case of equal reference aid amounts, by ascending power output;
- in case of equal reference aid amount and power output, by a lottery between the ex-aequo application files.
For each lot, tenders are selected in ascending order of the ranking established by the method described above, until the last tender chosen allows to exactly reach the maximum amount of aid for the lot under consideration. If the maximum amount of aid is exceeded for the lot concerned, the last eligible tender that led to the maximum amount being exceeded is removed and the award process is stopped.
In case of under-subscription of lot(s), a competitiveness clause is provided for, as well as a transfer of unallocated amounts. The competitiveness clause implies that no more than 90 % of the admissible projects presented in the context of the call for projects may be selected. If the number of projects submitted is less than 10, at least 1 project will be rejected.
Submitting the application
The application for aid is to be submitted using the online assistant available on MyGuichet.lu.
You or your agent will need to have a LuxTrust product or an electronic identity card (eID).
The application must be filed before the commencement of the work.
How to create a business eSpace on MyGuichet.lu
There are 2 possible scenarios:
- You are a new user of MyGuichet.lu. You must:
- first register on MyGuichet.lu; and
- then create a business eSpace.
- You already have a private eSpace on MyGuichet.lu. You can directly create a business eSpace without having to register again.
Further information as well as tutorials in relation with the business eSpace are available in our dedicated help page.
Supporting documents
Applications for aid must include the following information and documents:
- an organisation chart allowing for the identification of the company and the group (single economic entity) to which the company belongs, forms providing information on the size of the company and possibly the company's statutes;
- the official annual accounts of the applicant company and related companies (or consolidated group accounts);
- a bank account identification document;
- a CCSS certificate stating the number of employees;
- a certificate of right of use of the installation site;
- a project description and simplified business plan (excel template provided) ;
- a quote or offer, if available, otherwise a cost estimate.
Additional documents may be required in particular:
- if the site where the power plant is installed is a 'ZAE site' (article 2.2. of the specifications);
- if the plant is a roof-mounted plant with 'light' modules (article 2.2.1. of the specifications).
As of now, beneficiaries of selected projects with a capacity of more than 500 kW will be required to provide a financial performance guarantee (see articles 6.2. and 7.3. of the specifications).
The ministries can request information on the contractual relations between the parties involved in order to ascertain the need for the aid.
Maximum amount of financial aid
| Lot | Power (kWp) | Maximum amount of financial aid (EUR/kWp) | Maximum aid intensity (%) |
| Lot 1 | > 30 and ≤ 200 (building rooftops; economic activity areas (ZAE sites)) | 675 | 50 |
| Lot 2 | > 200 and ≤ 500 (building rooftops; economic activity areas (ZAE sites)) | 505 | 45 |
| Lot 3 | > 500 (building rooftops; economic activity areas (ZAE sites)) | 425 | 40 |
| Lot 4 | Innovative: modules placed on facades, light modules on building rooftops | ||
| a | > 30 and ≤ 200 | 845 | 50 |
| b | > 200 and ≤ 500 | 635 | 45 |
| c | > 500 | 535 | 40 |
| Lot 5 | > 30 (shade structures) | 990 | 45 |
No group (single economic entity) may receive aid for one or more projects in an amount exceeding 40 % of the budget per lot.
Indicative multi-annual timetable
Without prejudice to any other specific calls for tenders that may be launched, the Ministry of the Economy hereby publishes an indicative multi-annual timetable for the 2 calls for tenders relating to investment aid and operating aid (market premium contract):
| Year projects were awarded | Total volume required (in MW) | Call for tenders for operating aid: volumes to be tendered (in MW) | Call for tenders for investment aid: expected volumes (in MW) |
| 2024 | min. 70 | 50 | 30-40* |
| 2025 | min. 70 | 40-50 | 30-40* |
| 2026 | min. 70 | 40-50 | 30-40* |
| 2027 | min. 70 | 40-50 | 30-40* |
| 2028 | min. 70 | 40-50 | 30-40* |
* depending on the available budget. Depending on the successive results of the calls for tender, this breakdown could be adjusted.
Online services and forms
Online services
Downloadable forms
Who to contact
-
Luxinnovation Aid
- Address:
- 5, avenue des Hauts-Fourneaux L-4362 Esch-sur-Alzette Luxembourg
- Phone:
- (+352) 43 62 63 1
- Email address:
- aides@luxinnovation.lu
- Website:
- http://www.luxinnovation.lu
Related procedures and links
Links
Further information
-
Foire aux questions - Aide à l'investissement
Pdf • 347 Ko
-
Cahier des charges du 3e appel d'offres
Pdf • 473 Ko
-
Résultat du premier appel d’offres Photovoltaïque 2023
Pdf • 566 Ko
-
Résultat du 2e appel d’offres Photovoltaïque du 15 juillet 2023
Pdf • 233 Ko
Legal references
relative à un régime d’aides à la protection de l’environnement
