Commission approves €25 million State aid Croatian measure under the Recovery and Resilience Facility to support LNG terminal expansion on KrkThe European Commission has approved, under EU State aid rules, a €25 million Croatian measure to support the expansion of the liquefied natural gas (‘LNG’) terminal on the island of Krk. The measure will be partly funded through the Recovery and Resilience Facility (‘RRF’), following the Commission’s positive assessment of the Croatian Recovery and Resilience Plan, as amended, and its adoption by the Council.The measure will support the installation of an additional regasification module with a capacity of 250,000 m³/h on the existing LNG terminal on Krk. This will result in a new maximum regasification capacity of 700,000 cubic meters per hour, equivalent to 6.1 billion cubic meters per year. The aid will take the form of a direct grant, covering a share of the investment costs, to LNG Croatia, the promoter and operator of the terminal.The Commission assessed the measure under EU State aid rules, in particular Article 107(3)(c) TFEU, which allows Member States to support the development of certain economic activities under certain conditions, and the 2022 Guidelines on State aid for climate, environmental protection and energy (‘CEEAG’). The Commission found that the measure is necessary and appropriate to enable the beneficiary to carry out the project. The Commission also considered that the project is needed to secure gas supply for Croatia and the South-Eastern Europe region, while helping to diversify energy supplies and end dependence on Russian fossil fuels in line with the REPowerEU Plan. Finally, the Commission concluded that the measure is proportionate, as it is limited to the minimum necessary, and its positive effects outweigh any possible negative effects on competition and trade in the EU. On this basis, the Commission approved the Croatian measure under EU State aid rules.The non-confidential version of the decision will be made available under the number SA.106299 in the State aid register on the Commission’s competition website once any confidentiality issues have been resolved. (ICE ZAGABRIA)

Fonte notizia: European Commission Daily News 06 / 05 / 2024