Applying for the industrial decarbonisation funding programme
Registration
Applications must be submitted via CORE, the FOEN’s information and documentation system. If you are already registered on CORE, you can submit your completed application form via the ‘Dokumentenaustausch’ (document exchange) tab. To register, please contact: decarb_industry@bafu.admin.ch
Submitting an application
The completed application form for financial assistance, including the required attachments, must be submitted via CORE by 31 March in the given year. No specific format is required for the calculations, attachments and supporting documents.
Economic feasibility analysis: Costs per emission allowance
For the economic feasibility analysis required as part of the application, the figure below should be used for the emission allowance costs in the given calendar year. To calculate the expected revenue and savings from emissions trading, the previous calendar year’s average highest bidding price for EU emission allowance auctions run by European Energy Exchange AG (EEX) is used for all applications.
The costs per emission allowance for applications submitted by 31 March 2026 are: CHF 69.50.
Further information on how this figure was calculated:
For applications in subsequent years, the FOEN recalculates the costs per emission allowance each year using the same methodology and publishes the figure on this webpage around mid-January.
Application requirements
Applications must contain all the required information to ensure that the financial assistance amount can be determined in accordance with Article 127k of the CO2 Ordinance and prioritised in accordance with Article 127l of the CO2 Ordinance. The following information is required:
- A description of the measure
- Information on the effective duration (expected lifetime) of the measure
- An economic feasibility analysis, including calculation of the expected revenue and savings from emissions trading
- The planned implementation period
- A plausible and clear description of the way in which the measure contributes significantly to decarbonisation at the ETS installation
- A plausible and clear calculation of the annual scope of the targeted reduction in greenhouse gas emissions or the targeted negative emissions (effectiveness of the measure) in tonnes of CO2eq
- A plausible and clear calculation of the allowable costs (i.e. the costs directly necessary for cost-effective and expedient implementation of the measure)
- The number of emission allowances expected to be surrendered as a result of implementing the measure
- Information on the changes in environmental impact caused by the measures throughout the life cycle of the relevant installations and products
All the information required to submit an application can be found in this communication:
Amount and payment of financial assistance
Grants of up to 50 per cent of the allowable costs may be awarded. Allowable costs are the investment costs directly necessary and appropriate to implement the measure cost-effectively and expediently. This includes in particular capitalisable planning costs, investment costs for construction components, installation costs, commissioning costs (including any operational downtime that may result) and reasonable civil engineering costs (Art. 127k para. 2 CO2 Ordinance).
Financial assistance is usually paid out after the measure has been implemented and the final project report has been approved. Appropriate finance-related interim targets may be proposed in the application, which will result in partial payments being made before the measure has ended. For this reason, the application should specify the implementation status that must be reached before any payment is made (interim target).
Application review
All applications received by the deadline are reviewed to ensure they are complete and have been correctly submitted and their content is evaluated based on the following criteria, as described in the communication:
Review process
- Review to ensure application is complete and correctly submitted
- Review of content according to requirements
- For complex measures, a presentation of the measure may be required
- If the funding applications submitted by the deadline exceed the funds available for the given calendar year, all applications that meet the criteria are assessed based on the list of priorities under Article 127l of the CO2 Ordinance.
The multi-stage review process and periods for submitting any additional documentation required may last several months in total.
Reporting requirement
Once the measure has been fully implemented, a final project report must be submitted to the FOEN. If optional interim targets were set in the application to enable partial payments before full implementation, interim reports must be submitted to the FOEN at the times specified in the application.
Review of the measure’s effectiveness
Three years after the measure has been fully implemented, the installation operator must submit an evaluation report providing information on its effectiveness in the medium term. The FOEN may request independent verification of the effectiveness of the measure.