The European Commission has selected 77 net-zero technology projects across 23 countries for €3.4 billion in grants from the EU Innovation Fund. Among them are projects in Greece, Romania, Bulgaria, Cyprus and Croatia, targeting renewable energy, battery storage, electric mobility and industrial technology.
For the Balkans, the selected projects highlight how EU funding is supporting not only new renewable energy capacity, but also the infrastructure and technologies needed to integrate it into the wider energy system.
Two Greek projects have been selected. Terna Energy’s AegeanFloat plans a 45 MW floating offshore wind farm in the Aegean Sea, while the Talos project will combine solar and wind generation with a 400 MWh battery storage system on Crete.
Together, the projects address two sides of renewable energy development: increasing electricity generation and storing power to help manage changes in supply.
In Cyprus, the EuniFlex VPP project will combine battery systems with bidirectional electric vehicle chargers to support more flexible electricity use. Meanwhile, the cross-border Flow4EVE project in Romania and Hungary aims to improve electric vehicle battery performance in cold weather, with a potential 20% increase in winter driving range.
Croatian company Končar has also secured selection for its Koncar-Nexus project, which will industrialise a 2.5 MW power conversion platform connecting medium-voltage grids to large direct-current loads, including equipment used in green hydrogen production.
The selected projects also include cleaner tile manufacturing in Romania and innovative copper recycling in Bulgaria, extending the funding to industrial processes and materials.
The projects cover different parts of the region’s energy transition, from renewable generation and storage to electricity infrastructure, electric mobility and recycling.
Their selection provides support for technologies moving towards industrial deployment, although it does not mean the projects are already operational. Their progress will be important to watch as countries across the Balkans work to expand clean energy and develop the infrastructure needed to support it.
