The initiative that will launch the first basket bond in Friuli Venezia Giulia is one of five winning proposals under the LIFE 2023 call focused on innovative finance for the green transition. REFINEE spans Italy, Slovenia, and Croatia.
Private investments aimed at enhancing the sustainability of the European manufacturing sector are advancing at a slower pace than anticipated, particularly considering the commitments undertaken by EU Member States under recent legislative frameworks.
The European Climate, Infrastructure and Environment Executive Agency (CINEA) convened, in Brussels on April 10–11, a group of LIFE Programme beneficiaries from various countries who are testing solutions to accelerate the energy transition of the industrial sector, particularly for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). These include energy audits, collaborative platforms between clean technology providers and end users, and more ambitious approaches involving financial instruments and the creation of industrial energy communities.
In this context, Sinloc presented the REFINEE consortium during the event dedicated to improving energy efficiency in the industrial sector.
The Project
The REFINEE project—led by the regional financial institution of Friuli Venezia Giulia, FVG PLUS S.p.A.—was highlighted as an example of a concrete, ambitious, and forward-looking initiative supporting this necessary transition.
Industry accounts for one-third of Europe’s energy consumption (source: Eurostat), and innovative financial schemes are needed to foster the development of project pipelines aimed at improving the efficiency of production hubs. These schemes must leverage aggregation mechanisms to increase the positive impact not only on the directly involved businesses, but also on surrounding communities.
REFINEE is a three-year project that began in October 2024. It will enable the launch of the first basket bond in the Friuli Venezia Giulia region, specifically targeting SMEs to support investments in energy efficiency.
In Istria, the Region will test a hybrid scheme—part non-repayable grant for the technical and economic-financial development of the projects, and part soft loan—designed to establish the first industrial energy communities.
With the goal of mobilizing approximately €50 million and investing in at least 50 SMEs, the REFINEE project attracted significant interest from all participants at the conference hosted in Brussels.
