Meet the Law - Regulation of the PPR allocation for energy efficiency in service buildings – Ministerial Order no. 136-A/2022, of April 7

On 7 of April, it was published in the Portuguese Official Gazette the Ministerial Order no. 136-A/2022, which regulates the incentive system from the allocation of the Recovery and Resilience Plan ("PPR") to the investment “TC-C13-i03 - Energy efficiency in services buildings” ("Ministerial Order").

The Ministerial Order is intended to regulate the incentive system of the component of promotion of energy efficiency in buildings, within the climate transition dimension of the PPR, which aims to contribute to the goal of carbon neutrality, promoting, on the one hand, the energy renovation of service buildings and the promotion of energy efficiency and, on the other hand, the strengthening of energy production from renewable sources in collective self-consumption regime and/or renewable energy communities.

1.    Scope of application

The Ministerial Order establishes that the incentive system is applicable to buildings in the commerce and services sectors located in national territory, owned by legal or natural persons in the private sector, including entities that operate in the area of tourism and other entities in the social economy.

2.    Eligible expenses

The eligible expenses under the incentive system are limited to the costs with the acquisition of new solutions, including services with immaterial actions and consulting, which are included in the specific intervention typologies defined in the relevant tender notice, according to the intervention typologies set out in the Ministerial Order. These expenses must have already been invoiced and paid in full and delivered or installed.

The Ministerial Order also establishes that expenses subject to funding by other incentive programs and that do not meet the therein defined eligibility criteria are not eligible.

These expenses may include, for example, expenses in the production of energy from renewable sources for self-consumption, expenses in technical and storage systems, wiring and accessories to the facilities, monitoring technologies and software, among others.

3.    Procedure and selection criteria

Applications are presented under the publication of a tender notice and are submitted through an electronic form, available on the Environmental Fund's website.

The selection criteria established, to be specified in the tender notices, privilege the reduction of consumption and emissions, as well as the energy and economic efficiency achieved through the interventions undertaken.