Under the Net-Zero Industry Act (NZIA), project promoters can apply for the status of 'net-zero strategic projects’.
These strategic projects under the Net-Zero Industry Act are vital for enhancing the resilience, strategic autonomy, and competitiveness of the EU’s net-zero industry while aiming to scale up manufacturing of technologies essential for climate-neutrality.
Project promoters can propose their project by following the application process outlined on this website. The relevant EU country will assess and select these projects based on one of three criteria, namely the project's contribution to the technological and industrial resilience of the Union by increasing manufacturing capacity; its positive impact on the Union’s net-zero industry supply chain or downstream sector, or its contribution to reaching the Union’s climate and energy objectives through improved environmental sustainability and performance or circularity features. Projects benefitting from the ETS Innovation Fund, Important Projects of Common European Interest, Hydrogen Valleys, the Hydrogen Bank, cohesion funding or located in ‘less developed and transition regions’ or Just Transition Fund territories, have a simplified process.
Net-zero strategic projects enjoy national ‘priority status’ under the NZIA Regulation, ensuring rapid administrative treatment and faster permitting. These projects also receive additional focus within the Net-Zero Europe Platform, including financing advice. Urgent treatment in judicial and dispute resolution procedures, and simplified assessments for specific environmental legislation derogations, are also provided if necessary.
For more information, please consult the FAQs or the NZIA Regulation, which outlines the benefits (Articles 15-16), the application and recognition process (Article 14) and the selection criteria (Article 13).
Please note that we will launch the application process for carbon, capture and storage (CCS) projects to become strategic projects later in the year. Currently, strategic projects covered on this website are exclusively net-zero technology manufacturing projects.