A call for projects will support companies involved in the Carbon Agreements in implementing their low-carbon investments.
The Carbon Agreements are a central lever of Wallonia's industrial decarbonisation policy. They cover around 80% of the energy consumption of Walloon industry, a sector that itself accounts for nearly 30% of the Region's total emissions. More than 200 Walloon companies, representing around 250 industrial sites, have committed to this dynamic, following a path towards carbon neutrality by 2050, with interim targets set for 2030 and 2040. Audits carried out have already identified more than 6,000 improvement avenues for the 2031 horizon.
With this call for projects, Wallonia intends to remove some of the obstacles to implementing these investments, particularly when their profitability, financing or technical complexity slow down their realisation.
The call has a total budget of just over €39 million, split between €14.4 million in grants and up to €25 million in preferential-rate loans. These resources will support industrial projects with strong environmental or energy impact potential.
The preferential-rate loans will be available through Wallonie Entreprendre, Wallonia's economic and financial tool dedicated to supporting and developing businesses. They can complement the grants to facilitate the financial structuring of selected projects and strengthen the leverage effect on investments.
The call is aimed at companies enrolled in a Carbon Agreement whose action plans have been approved by the Walloon Region. Among other criteria, projects must explicitly appear in these action plans, be technically mature, and demonstrate a minimum annual saving of 500 tonnes of CO₂ equivalent or 1 GWh of final energy.
Applications will undergo technical and financial analysis by WalEnergie, with support from the SPW and AWAC on aspects related to the AMUREBA methodology and the objectives of the Carbon Agreements. Ranking will be based on the environmental efficiency of projects, in order to give priority to those offering the best ratio between the support requested and the expected gains.
Companies have until 25 September 2026 to submit their application. The winners will be announced in December.
All information is available on the Wallonie Entreprendre website, at the following address: https://www.wallonie-entreprendre.be/fr/actualites/expertise/participez-a-lappel-a-projets-en-faveur-de-la-decarbonation-de-lindustrie-wallonne/
Cécile Neven, Minister for Energy and the Air-Climate Plan: “With this call for projects, we are turning ambitions into concrete achievements. Every supported investment will enable our industries to sustainably reduce their energy consumption, strengthen their competitiveness and prepare for tomorrow's challenges.”
Pierre-Yves Jeholet, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for the Economy, Industry, Employment, Training, Research and Digital Affairs: “The energy transition of our industry cannot be decreed, it must be invested in. With nearly €40 million mobilised, we are helping our companies deliver projects that reduce their emissions while strengthening their competitiveness. It is essential to decarbonise without deindustrialising, turning the transition into a lever for growth, innovation and employment, but never an obstacle to Wallonia's redeployment.”