EU grants EUR 27.5m for Finnish solar in 1st cross-border tender

Solar park in Joroinen, Finland. Image by: Ilmatar Energy.

The European Climate, Environment and Infrastructure Executive Agency (CINEA) has signed grant agreements with the winners of the EU’s first cross-border renewables tender, awarding EUR 27.5 million (USD 29.8m) in funding for seven solar photovoltaic projects in Finland.

Those seven projects will add a total of 212.99 MW of solar power capacity and contribute to the national targets for renewables of Finland and Luxembourg, the country that provided the funding.

The tender was organised in the framework of the renewable energy financing mechanism (RENEWFM), with Luxembourg voluntarily contributing EUR 40 million to the competition and Finland offering to host the projects.

The tender was launched in April 2023, targeting 400 MW of new solar, split between projects with a size of 5 MW to 100 MW. CINEA selected eight projects with a combined capacity of 282.77 MW, but seven of them progressed to the signing of the grant agreement with the agency.

The first project signed the agreement with CINEA in March 2024, while the remaining six did so in April and May.

More details about each project follow in the table below:

Project name:	Capacity:	Location in Finland:	Award amount:
Loukkaanaro	20 MW	Utajarvi	EUR 2.3m
Niittyneva Solar Park	8 MWp	Nivala	EUR 837,000
Ohrasuo Solar Park	7.8 MWp	Savonlinna	EUR 990,000
Koirivaara Solar Park	30 MWp	Tohmajarvi	EUR 5.2m
Honkisaarenneva	33 MWp	Kuortane	EUR 4.1m
Kuortane Solar	74.03 MWp	Leppalankyla	EUR 9.9m
Poytya Solar	40.16 MWp	Poytya	EUR 4m