The government is making €211 million available through the recently published National Investment Scheme for Industrial Climate Projects (NIKI) to support the industry in large-scale CO₂ reduction projects. The scheme aims to accelerate investments in sustainable technologies within production processes.
Focus on Large-Scale CO₂ Reduction
The NIKI scheme targets industrial companies aiming to make their production processes more sustainable. The subsidy is available for projects that result in a significant reduction of CO₂ or other greenhouse gas emissions. A key requirement is that the projected CO₂ reduction per project must be at least 100,000 tons over ten years, compared to the current situation.
Projects must take place within the borders of the Netherlands and must involve the construction or modification of a production facility (the so-called NIKI installation). Projects focused on wastewater treatment or the recovery of valuable raw materials from waste may also be eligible.
Two Project Categories
The scheme includes two main categories:
- Direct emission reduction in the production process, for example through electrification, process optimization, or the use of hydrogen;
- Replacement of fossil carbon sources in the value chain, for example through the use of bio-based raw materials or chemical recycling.
Subsidy Amount and Application Period
The minimum subsidy amount per application is €30 million, unless a smaller remaining budget is left at the end of the evaluation round.
Subsidy applications can be submitted between September 1 and 30, 2025. Grants will be awarded based on a ranking system, giving priority to projects with the lowest requested subsidy per ton of CO₂ avoided.
