Full speed ahead on decarbonization. The North Tyrrhenian Port Network Authority has recently published a public notice granting subsidies for the purchase (or conversion to full electric or hydrogen traction) of vehicles specifically used for goods handling or transporting people, such as mobile handling cranes, forklift trucks, locomotives or locotractors, shuttle services for transporting people in port areas, company cars and waste-collection vehicles..
The initiative is entirely financed with resources from the Next Generation EU- National Recovery and Resilience Plan programme, under ‘Intermodality and Integrated Logistics.’ It awards non-repayable subsidies under the de-minimis regime. Up to a maximum of €300,000 per company. Funding will be available to private operators, terminal concessionaires and stakeholders authorized to operate in the North Tyrrhenian Network ports. The deadline for submitting applications is 17th January 2025.
Potential beneficiaries will be selected on the basis of three different criteria: how long the concession or authorization is valid for (with a bonus for longer timespans), if there is any private co-financing in addition to the public contribution requested, and how coherent the investment is in relation to the sustainable port operation objectives. The investment must be completed by 31st March 2026.
“The initiative is part of a bigger project for the environmental transformation of ports that the Port Network Authority set up some time ago with the publication of its Energy & Environmental Planning Document (DEASP),” Mr. Guerrieri explained, adding that “the Next Gen EU funds give us the opportunity to invest more European and national resources in this process. Environmental sustainability is a necessity, and similar initiatives represent an ambitious, decisive breakthrough for tackling port pollution.”
The initiative will be illustrated to operators on 4th December at an info day for stakeholders interested in applying for subsidies. The event, which will be held in the Sala Maestrale at the Port Network Authority’s cruise terminal offices, can also be attended remotely.
Translation by Giles Foster
