Contact us for more information
By: Yunit Consulting | 27 January 2026
Portugal 2030 officially opened today the "race" for European funds destined for the climate transition of companies. The new Notice MPR-2026-01 puts up for tender a budget allocation of 165 million euros from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), intended to support investments that reduce the energy bill and carbon emissions of national industry.
The notice, awaited with expectation by the business sector, brings an immediate requirement: applications for the General Regime – which covers the majority of the business fabric (SMEs and Large Enterprises) – close on the 27th of February 2026. Companies thus have little more than 30 days to submit complex projects that require prior energy audits.
The most critical point of this launch concerns the schedule. For the General Regime – which covers the majority of companies (SMEs and Large Enterprises) with investments starting at 400 thousand euros – the application period is exceptionally short, closing on the 27th of February 2026.
In this modality, companies located in the North, Centre, Alentejo and Algarve regions can benefit from a maximum non-repayable co-financing rate of 85%. The Lisbon region is excluded from this specific regime.
In this general access tender, investments starting at 400 thousand euros located in the North, Centre, Alentejo and Algarve regions are eligible. The Lisbon Metropolitan Area is excluded from this typology, confirming the trend of channelling cohesion funds to less developed regions.
Companies in these geographies can benefit from a non-repayable co-financing rate that can reach 85%, a powerful incentive for the replacement of obsolete fossil fuel machinery with new electric and efficient technologies.
For large-scale projects, the notice establishes different rules. The Contractual Investment Regime (RCI) opens the door to Large Enterprises with investments exceeding 25 million euros (or 15 million, if classified as strategic).
Unlike the general regime, this modality includes the Lisbon region and offers an extended application deadline until 30 December 2026. In these cases, the incentive is not fixed, being defined through a direct negotiation process with AICEP, which will evaluate the merit and structuring impact of the project on the national economy.
"Changing the paradigm" is the technical requirement
The Government's objective is not just to finance the usual modernisation, but rather a structural change. Expenses related to the electrification of industrial processes, the installation of renewable energies for self-consumption (photovoltaic, green hydrogen), and the energy rehabilitation of corporate buildings are eligible.
However, the technical requirement is high. To have their applications approved, companies will have to present mandatory energy audits (ex-ante and ex-post), carried out by qualified experts, which clearly prove the energy savings and emission reductions that the project promises to achieve.
This new package of incentives comes aligned with the National Energy and Climate Plan 2030 (PNEC 2030), at a time when the competitiveness of Portuguese companies depends increasingly on their capacity for immunisation against the volatility of energy costs.
Yunit Consulting: Together, we take the Leap
Source: Portugal 2030 | Notice MPR-2026-01
Last update: 27/01/2026
Keep up to date with news on investment incentives and tax benefits and qualified information for your company's financial management decisions.
I agree to the terms and conditions of the Yunit Consulting Privacy Policy, which I have read and understood.
