The Port of Barcelona has held a conference to publicize the new existing funding options to boost the decarbonization of port activity. This seminar focused on analyzing the Energy Saving Certificates (CAE) system, innovation patronage, and the Climate Fund. The event, organized by the Environmental Working Group of the Port Community together with the Efficient Energy Cluster of Catalonia (CEEC), brought together prominent representatives from the sector interested in learning first-hand about the new funding options offered by these instruments to boost decarbonization.
The director of the Catalan Office for Climate Change, Leo Bejarano, explained the operation of the Climate Fund, which is funded by 50% of the tax on COâ‚‚ emissions from vehicles and 20% of the tax on installations that impact the environment. Bejarano detailed the aid programs that allow companies to access these funds to finance decarbonization actions.
Maria Victòria Palau, key account manager at the consultancy Euro-Funding, explained the operation of the Tax Lease or innovation patronage, an instrument that allows companies to promote innovative investments through the delegation of the tax deductions generated. The most extensive part of the conference focused on the Energy Saving Certificates (CAE) system, which allows for the monetization of energy savings and the recovery of part of the investments in efficiency and savings made by companies. César de Cara, a technician in Energy Saving and Efficiency at the Catalan Energy Institute (Icaen) and an expert in CAE, reviewed the two years this system has been in effect in Catalonia and its application by Catalan companies.
Energy saving certificates
During the conference, three round tables were held to delve deeper into CAE actions linked to the main sectors related to port activity, such as transport and efficient vehicles; actions in buildings and the industrial sector. The president of the Port of Barcelona, José Alberto Carbonell, and the president of the Efficient Energy Cluster of Catalonia, Joaquim Daura, were in charge of inaugurating this seminar. Carbonell recalled that the European Union has committed to being a net-zero emissions territory by 2050 and has therefore promoted profound legislative changes to help decarbonize all activity sectors, including ports. For his part, Daura highlighted the collaboration between the CEEC and the Port of Barcelona and recalled that the cluster promotes various actions to help companies decarbonize. The CEEC created a specific CAE working group to energize this market, develop action sheets, and establish mechanisms to facilitate its implementation for companies.
