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Milestone for policy which aims to accelerate deployment of clean energy technologies The European Commission has today adopted rules defining the scope of the Net-Zero Industry Act (NZIA), which aims to boost the deployment of clean energy technologies. The Commission said four new pieces of secondary legislation and a communication relating to the NZIA will help the EU’s industry to become more resilient, competitive, and reduce its carbon footprint. These rules clarify which manufacturing projects can benefit from specific provisions in the Act, such as on permitting, strategic project status and on non-price criteria. Today’s act clarifies the scope of NZIA through listing specific components for which the NZIA requirements will apply. The Commission has adopted rules for the inclusion of certain non-price criteria in renewable energy auctions. These criteria include responsible business conduct, cybersecurity, and sustainability and resilience contribution. Starting on 30 December 2025, the new rules must be applied to 30% of auction volumes (or 6GW per year per EU country). The act provides more detailed parameters to help harmonise how Member States apply these rules to ensure better visibility for businesses, while allowing some flexibility. The Commission has also adopted an act listing net-zero technology final products and their main specific components. This list helps identify which products may trigger the mandatory application of the non-price criterion of “resilience”. This means that, in certain public procedures, contracting authorities must consider supply chain resilience alongside price when selecting technologies or suppliers; in other words, contracting authorities in these cases should not simply select the cheapest option. The Commission has also adopted a communication providing information on where the EU’s supply of net-zero technologies comes from, highlighting third country dependencies for specific technologies. This information enables the application of the “resilience” non-price criterion in public procurement, renewable energy auctions, and other public interventions in order to diversify the technology sources. The NZIA allows net-zero technology manufacturing projects to apply for “strategic project” status. Strategic projects benefit from “priority status” at national level, which ensures rapid administrative treatment and financial advice. Executive vice president for prosperity and industrial strategy Stéphane Séjourné (pictured) said: “Today’s adoption of the secondary legislation under the Net-Zero Industry Act marks a key milestone in boosting clean tech in the EU. “We are providing the clarity and confidence our clean tech industries need to invest, scale, and lead globally. “By strengthening Europe’s industrial base, we are boosting our economic resilience and ensuring our long-term competitiveness in the global race to net zero.” Commissioner for Energy and Housing Dan Jørgensen added: “Today, we deliver on our competitiveness agenda by implementing a new piece of the Net Zero Industry Act. “Well designed auctions to support the roll-out of renewable energy are a vital step for giving a better chance to European manufacturers to compete on the EU market, and to achieve both our resilience and decarbonisation goals.” |
