EnEffect, Municipal Energy Efficiency Network EcoEnergy and Sofia Municipality are organising the next national roundtable on financing energy efficiency and renewable energy projects, which will take place in a combined in-person and online format on 29 November 2022 in Sofia and will focus on sustainable energy projects in industry and SMEs.

With a clear trend of increasing clean energy investment by large manufacturers, many questions remain about access to finance for SMEs and the technological readiness of the whole sector to cope with the impacts of the energy and economic crisis. Overcoming these challenges is to a large extent linked to the timely implementation of the expected reforms under the National Recovery and Sustainability Plan (NRSP), as the financing of sustainable energy projects depends on several support schemes, mainly focused on the integration of renewable energy installations. At the same time, EU Structural and Cohesion Fund programmes are expected to support the overall process of industrial technology modernisation. 

In this context, the next Round Table will provide a platform for exchange and coordination between national authorities, representatives of business associations and financial institutions to promote investment in sustainable energy projects in industry and local enterprises. To this end, presentations are foreseen by the relevant public institutions with up-to-date information on the expected application conditions and deadlines of the support programmes as well as on the implementation of the planned reforms to facilitate the development of new business models adapted to the needs of enterprises. Parallel sessions will focus on available financial instruments, project quality requirements, as well as on financial flow guarantees and energy management systems in industry. Discussions will be complemented by contributions from the BeSMART technical working groups, focusing on the implementation of energy efficiency contracting schemes as a key mechanism for quality assurance and mobilising market resources for clean energy projects.

The conclusions reached will be summarised during the closing session, which will traditionally end with a panel discussion with the participation of representatives of central authorities (invited), chambers of industry, energy experts and representatives of financial institutions. 

Among the leading topics are:

• Existing financial instruments to support energy efficiency and renewable energy in enterprises
• Successful practices and barriers in implementing specialised financial products
• Energy management systems in enterprises 

The round table will start at 10:00 on 29 November, when the XV National Conference of the Association of Bulgarian Energy Agencies will also start. 

Stay tuned for further information coming soon on the EnEffect and EcoEnergy Facebook pages and via e-mail for the registered participants.