The Agency for Financing Rural Investments (AFIR) has launched in public consultation the Applicant’s Guide for supporting investments in renewable energy for self-consumption of enterprises in agriculture and the food industry, in order to open a new session for submitting applications for financing.
“We are preparing a new session for submitting applications for financing through the energy scheme for farmers and processors in the agri-food industry, with a total budget increased to 200 million euros. More precisely, we are talking about financing with 100% non-reimbursable funds investments in green energy production capacities for self-consumption of agricultural holdings and processing units,” said Adrian Chesnoiu, general director of AFIR, quoted in a press release.
He added that, in 2026, support will be directed exclusively towards solar energy production.
“For this year’s session, we have decided that support will go exclusively to solar energy production so that we can meet the very high demand for this component. In the sessions held so far, we have received funding requests totaling over 500 million euros, of which, within the limits of the available funds and following the selection procedure, we have contracted over 228 million euros to finance 1,100 investments. The absorption capacity of Romanian farmers, but especially their need for financing, are very high and in order to ensure a medium and long-term development of the agri-food sector, it is vital to continue financing investments in agriculture with substantial amounts,” Chesnoiu also said, quoted by Agerpres.
The financial allocation established for the session for submitting funding requests is 200 million euros, divided equally between the component for installed capacities less than or equal to 1 MW and greater than 1 MW.
For the session related to the year 2026, the amount of state aid granted under the scheme will be 100% non-refundable for the production of solar energy, within the limit of 650,000 euros/MW for installed capacities less than and including 1 MW and 550,000 euros/MW for installed capacities greater than 1 MW. Under the energy scheme, applicants can submit multiple projects, if the investments target different production sites, within the limit of 20 million euros per beneficiary.
Eligible beneficiaries under the energy scheme are enterprises in the agricultural or food industry sector, legally established and registered with the National Trade Register Office, as well as organizations in the field of land improvements. Through this support scheme, projects that aim to achieve new electricity production capacities for self-consumption (below or above 1 MW) from solar sources, with or without storage, receive funding.
The source of funding is the Aid Scheme for supporting investments in new renewable energy production capacities for self-consumption by enterprises in the agricultural and food industry sectors.
The funds allocated through this Aid Scheme are made available through the Modernization Fund, managed by the Ministry of Energy, and the administrator of the Aid Scheme is the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, through the Rural Investment Financing Agency.