In the next two years, 21 projects will be carried out as part of the European BENEFIC project to improve the infrastructure for environmentally friendly vehicles and inland waterway vessels. These projects are in Flanders, the Brussels-Capital Region and the Netherlands and will result in 1,000 additional loading and refuelling points for passenger cars, electric taxis, electric buses, freight transport and inland waterway vessels. Subsidises totalling EUR 5,337,755 are being granted for (ultra)(fast) loading infrastructures, LNG, CNG and hydrogen refuelling stations and onshore installations. Flemish Energy Minister Tommelein approved the projects. Tenderers have two years in which to carry out their projects. BENEFIC is part of the EU programme 'Connecting Europe Facility', funded by the European Commission. The Flemish Department of the Environment is coordinating the project.
A lot of people now opt for environmentally friendly vehicles. With the implementation of BENEFIC, the partners (the Department of the Environment and the Department of Mobility and Public Works for Flanders, Brussels Environment and Brussels Mobility for the Brussels Capital Region and the Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management for the Netherlands) are aiming to achieve a definitive breakthrough for clean and green transport technologies. The cooperation also removes the barriers to cross-border transport. At the same time, the partners are implementing the European ‘Clean Power for Transport’ directive and fulfilling Belgian and Dutch ambitions in this area.
BENEFIC is an innovative project in terms of the cross-border cooperation and the broad range of fuel technologies involved. The BENEFIC approach is also unique, in that a call for projects open to public and private parties was organised using European funds. So investors have an opportunity to undertake accessible projects. After the call for projects, which ran from February to May 2018, 21 of the 24 projects submitted were selected.
