Last Updated on Saturday, 5 December, 2020 at 4:50 pm by Andre Camilleri
Malta Enterprise set to start receiving applications for grant under which the construction industry can replace old machinery. A total of €4 million has been allocated.
As of 10th December, Malta Enterprise will start receiving applications for the new Construction Industry Scheme, whereby €4 million have been allocated under Malta’s Regeneration Budget.
Through this scheme, the government is encouraging operators in the construction industry to scrap and replace old machinery and/or equipment with new equipment that generates less emissions and reduces harmful emissions.
Minister for Energy, Enterprise and Sustainable Development Miriam Dalli encouraged operators to apply for the scheme. “This one measure will lead to the scrapping of a substantial number of older vehicles and equipment that were not only less efficient but also environmentally unsustainable. This scheme includes increased aid intensity for hybrid and electric-powered equipment,” she said.
Minister Dalli highlighted that each economic sector had a role to play in achieving sustainable growth. “It’s only with such synergies that we can really foster future growth. This is a brand of economic growth that we are consciously choosing, and which will not only reap economic benefits but will also protect our environment and our country for the next generations,” she said.
In principle, the scrapped equipment and that purchased must provide the same functionality, however Malta Enterprise may yet consider the replacement with equipment that performs a different function as long as the new equipment has similar engine size capacity and results in a reasonable reduction in CO2 emissions based on a typical annual usage.
The Minister thanked Malta Enterprise and the Malta Developers Association (MDA) for their collaboration.
On his part, Malta Enterprise CEO Kurt Farrugia highlighted that this was a result of a renewed focus by Malta Enterprise, not just to regenerate the economy, but also in regard to fostering more sustainable business operations;
“Apart from the immediate help via the wage supplement, our focus on regenerating the economy meant that we had to employ new measures. We have recently launched schemes including the Business Re-engineering and Transformation Scheme that will support our businesses to stop and think on how they want to future-proof their operations; we will also soon start to disburse the grants under the COVID support scheme for Electricity and Rent.
“In all our endeavours, however, we put sustainability on the forefront as indicated via the recently launched Energy Efficiency scheme, and this Construction Industry scheme. This particular scheme is the result of discussions with the MDA which supported the aims of helping its members decrease harmful emissions,” concluded Mr Farrugia.
The application form for the ‘Construction Industry Scheme’ is now available on regeneration.maltaenterpise.com. Interested applicants can start compiling the application but submissions will be only possible as of next week.
Ahead of submitting the application, prospective applicants are encouraged to create a profile through the Malta Enterprise client portal that will then enable them to apply for this scheme. For queries regarding the portal, one can email info@maltaenterprise.com or call 144. Malta Enterprise will start receiving applications on Thursday 10th December at noon through the Malta Enterprise client portal.
Prospective applicants can now also access the Frequently Asked Questions, which have been compiled to assist interested clients. Applications will be processed in the order that they are received, until the €4 million budget allocated for this measure is fully utilised. Applications that have not been correctly filled in or are missing required annexes will be rejected
Each beneficiary can benefit up to €200,000 in line with ‘De minimis’ aid rules. Submission of application form needs to take place prior to purchasing of any machinery or equipment.
