Grants of up to €20 thousand for Ukrainian businesses for energy efficiency: who can get them

A new grant program “Supporting Energy Sustainability of Micro- and Small Enterprises in Ukraine” opens in December. Representatives of domestic businesses will be able to receive €10-20,000 to purchase alternative energy sources.

The program was presented by project manager of the Entrepreneurship Development Fund Anna Khristinchenko, Ukrinform reports.

Who this program is for

She said that the main goal of the program is to help Ukrainian micro and small businesses to purchase alternative power sources and ensure the continuity of their production process.

According to the manager, the program has 2 components:

1. Providing grants of up to €10 thousand to micro-enterprises to purchase alternative energy sources. These can be of either renewable or non-renewable type. Businesses can use these funds to purchase energy efficient equipment and pay for related works and services.
2. Grant support of up to €20 thousand combined with bank loans for small businesses. Provision is made for reimbursement of up to 40% of the current debt on the loan received for energy sustainability.

Anna Khristinchenko says that businesses from all over Ukraine, except for the temporarily occupied territories, will be able to receive grants. However, preference will be given to the areas that suffer the most from the destruction of energy infrastructure.

How many funds are planned to be distributed?

In general, with funds from international partners they plan to finance:

• 80 grants in the amount of up to €10 thousand;
• 42 grants – up to €20 thousand.

Assistance is provided in national currency. It can be combined with the state program “Affordable loans 5-7-9%”.

What are the requirements for grantors?

For micro-enterprises:

• gross annual income up to €2 million;
• The average registered number of full-time employees is no more than 10 people.

For small businesses:

• gross annual income up to €10 million;
• The average registered number of full-time employees is no more than 50 people.
• A combination of a grant and a loan is required.

“A business can buy solar panels, wind generators, energy storage products (ecoflow, batteries), production equipment, generators, and also allocate 10% of the investment cost to related goods and services, including energy audits,” said the project manager.

How to get a grant

1. Apply on the IT platform of the Entrepreneurship Development Fund.
2. To undergo a reputation check, possible connections with legal entities, credit history, and in case of receiving a grant together with a loan (small business) – and creditworthiness, which will be conducted by the selected partner bank.
3. Wait for the automatic ranking of applicants and determination of grant winners.
4. In case of winning – submit documentation to the bank offline.

The partner banks of this project are:

• “Oschadbank”;
• Lviv Bank;
• “Sens Bank”;
• "Ukrgasbank.

Earlier EcoPolitic reported that producers of the processing industry can receive a grant of UAH 1 mln.