EIB expands financing for wind manufacturing, grids and electrification

27 June 2025

The European Investment Bank has raised its 2025 financing ceiling to a record €100bn to strengthen Europe’s energy security, industrial competitiveness and technology leadership. This includes new counter-guarantee facilities: €1.5bn for grid component manufacturers, €500m for corporate PPAs and €250m to support mid-sized green tech manufacturers. The EIB also increased its existing counter-guarantee facility for wind manufacturers from €5bn to €6.5bn.

The European Investment Bank (EIB) is continuing to ramp up its support for Europe’s energy security and industrial competitiveness. Its increased 2025 financing ceiling of €100bn will help deliver on key measures under the EU Clean Industrial Deal.

Counter-guarantee scheme for wind manufacturers increased

That’s good news for wind manufacturers. Under the Wind Power Action Plan the European Commission instructed the EIB to provide de-risking tools and €5bn in counter-guarantees for wind energy manufacturing. The EIB has made good progress since – €3bn have been disbursed already. The EIB is now increasing the successful counter-guarantee scheme from €5bn to €6.5bn.

This will help strengthen Europe’s wind supply chain and support the scale-up of domestic manufacturing. But with a large volume of offshore wind projects in the pipeline – which require significantly higher counter-guarantee values than onshore projects – it’s vital to already consider the next increase. A total envelope closer to €10bn would ensure continued support for manufacturers and help Europe meet its clean energy targets.

New counter guarantees for grids, PPAs and SMEs

Next to that, a new €1.5bn package of counter-guarantees for grid component manufacturers will help manufacturers ramp up the production of grid equipment. Eligible technologies include transmission and distribution equipment, batteries, hydrogen and EV charging infrastructure. These technologies are essential to the integration of competitive renewable electricity into the energy system. They will help deliver affordable and home-grown electricity to European homes and businesses.

To give more companies the opportunity to procure renewable energy, the EIB and the European Commission will launch a €500m pilot programme to support corporate Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs). The programme is a key deliverable under the EU Clean Industrial Deal, as we explained in this video.

Aimed at mid-sized and large energy-intensive companies, the PPA pilot programme will utilise counter-guarantees to de-risk long-term clean energy contracts while also supporting the development of new renewable energy projects.

A further €250m CleantechEU guarantee scheme will provide liquidity and working capital to innovative small and medium-sized companies (SMEs) that are developing green technologies.

“All these measures will help to de-risk investments, facilitate access to finance and accelerate the deployment of clean energy. That’s excellent. But to unlock their full potential, the scope of the counter-guarantee schemes must be expanded – and more support is needed for wind research and innovation” said Phil Cole, Director of Industrial Affairs at WindEurope.

Further adjustments needed

The EIB has shown it can move fast and deliver impact. Now it’s time to go further – and make sure Europe’s wind industry has the tools it needs to thrive.

To fully unlock the benefits of the wind manufacturing counter-guarantee facility, its scope should be expanded to include warranty bonds. This would streamline the process, reduce costs for the manufacturers and ensure a more efficient use of the scheme.

The current counter-guarantee scheme excludes warranty bonds. This means manufacturers still need to obtain separate guarantees from commercial banks to cover warranty periods which adds complexity and cost – and undermines the scheme’s full effectiveness. Because commercial banks can’t access the scheme to provide warranty cover, they remain constrained by prudential limits. Ironically, this reintroduces the very bottleneck the scheme was designed to remove.

Looking ahead, the EU and the EIB must also step up support for wind energy research and innovation. The European wind industry’s competitiveness is built on a strong innovation legacy. But current EU R&I funding averages around €500m a year – far below that provided by countries outside the EU and what’s needed to stay competitive globally.

The creation of a dedicated European Fund for Wind Research and Competitiveness would allow a one-stop shop for wind R&I funding by pooling EU, national and private financing and funding. It would ensure better coordination, unlock private investment and help Europe maintain its global leadership in wind energy.