The European Commission is offering €54.9 million in investment support for ground-mounted solar PV projects in Bulgaria and Finland under RENEWFM
Finland has a support cap of 400 MW, while Bulgaria has no capacity limit; Luxembourg is financing this round as the contributing member state
In Bulgaria, only ground-mounted solar projects with co-located BESS are eligible while only ground-mounted PV projects are eligible in Finland
The European Commission is offering €54.9 million investment support for ground-mounted solar PV projects in Bulgaria and Finland in the 3rd cross-border tender under EU Renewable Energy Financing Mechanism (RENEWFM). The aim is for selected projects to expand European Union’s renewable energy capacity in a cost-effective way.
While 400 MW capacity is capped for support in Finland, there is no such capacity restriction for projects in Bulgaria. For this round of the cross-border tender, Luxembourg is providing financing as the contributing member state.
Under the call, ground-mounted solar PV projects with co-located battery energy storage system (BESS) in Pernik, Kyustendik or Stara Zagora districts will be eligible to compete in Bulgaria. In Finland, proposals of ground-mounted PV projects will be admitted. These can be located anywhere in the country barring the region of Åland.
Each eligible project must have a minimum installed capacity of 10 MW and maximum 100 MW. Co-located solar and storage projects must have same grid access point. All selected facilities will be required to start commercial operations by March 1, 2029.
Bids will be evaluated basis €/MWh using a fixed number of full load hours (FLH) for each country—1,550 hours for solar-plus-storage projects in Bulgaria, and 900 hours for PV facilities in Finland. Projects with the lowest price/MWh will rank highest.
Launched on March 3, 2026 as a technology specific grant award procedure, the call is open to interested projects till September 1, 2026. Grant agreements will be signed in June 2027.
RENEWFM is an EU funding program designed to support the clean energy transition in line with the Clean Industrial Deal and the Paris Agreement goals. Through cross-border tenders under RENEWFM carried out by the European Climate, Infrastructure and Environment Executive Agency (CINEA), the European Commission seeks to enable a more cost-efficient deployment of renewable energy across the EU, particularly in regions with stronger natural resources or more favorable geographic conditions.
In the 1st cross-border renewable energy tender under RENEWFM, EU selected 7 solar PV projects in Finland for €27.5 million financing support. In May 2025, it awarded €52 million to 7 solar projects in Finland and 2 wind projects in Estonia under the 2nd cross border tender with Luxembourg as the contributing country (see EU Grants €52 Million For 9 RE Projects in Finland & Estonia).
