Poland to deploy almost €300 million for energy savings with EIB Advisory support under ELENA

• EIB supporting Poland’s National Fund for Environmental Protection and Water Management – NFOŚiGW – to prepare energy saving projects.
• Accelerating €288 million of investments in public buildings and district heating systems across Poland.
• EIB advisory role results from European Local Energy Assistance (ELENA) -  a joint EIB-Commission facility

Under a new ELENA contract  the EIB Group’s advisory arm will support the Polish National Fund for Environmental Protection and Water Management (NFOŚiGW) over the next 4 years in deploying €288 million to improve energy efficiency in public buildings and upgrade district heating systems.

The goal is to carry out the energy renovation of over 80 public buildings and to transform at least 65 district heating systems across the country. The projects being pursued by the Polish fund, known as NFOŚiGW, will accelerate Poland’s transition to more efficient and less polluting lower-carbon heating systems.

“EIB Advisory support through ELENA helps national and local authorities turn ambitious climate and energy objectives into mature, implementable investment projects. Our collaboration with NFOŚiGW will accelerate investments that improve energy efficiency, increase the use of renewable energy, and promote cleaner heating solutions, delivering tangible benefits to citizens and local communities across Poland,” said EIB Vice-President Ioannis Tsakiris.

The supported investment programme is projected to deliver annual energy savings of around 23 gigawatt-hours (GWh) and a reduction in emissions of carbon dioxide (CO₂) equivalent to the carbon footprint of approximately 15,000 homes.

For NFOŚiGW itself, the operation will reinforce a plan to create a “competence centre” dedicated to helping national and local authorities turn ambitious climate and energy objectives into mature, implementable investment projects.

“The competence center, established as part of the ELENA project, addresses market needs in investment consulting to support Poland’s energy transition. The ELENA program will provide the NFOŚiGW with a unique range of services in Europe, combining advisory and financial support for future beneficiaries. This initiative aligns with the Fund’s strategy for 2025–2028, which focuses on developing advisory services and creating a competence center within the Fund, as well as utilizing modern financial instrument”said NFOŚiGW Board President Dorota Zawadzka-Stępniak.

The ELENA project will also help strengthen the technical capacity of NFOŚiGW, enabling it to provide expert support to municipalities and local authorities in implementing energy-efficiency and clean-energy projects. With EIB support, the aim is to build up the required competencies to continue with a self-managed “National ELENA” after the current project concludes.

Background information   

The EIB Group   

The European Investment Bank (ElB) Group is the financing arm of the European Union, owned by the 27 Member States, and one of the largest multilateral development banks in the world. In 2025, the EIB Group signed €100 billion of new financing and advisory services for over 870 high-impact projects in eight core priorities that support EU policy objectives: climate action and the environment, digitalisation and technological innovation, security and defence, territorial cohesion, agriculture and the bioeconomy, social infrastructure, strong global partnerships and the savings and investment union. Beyond long-term loans for large infrastructures, the EIB Group crowds-in private investment for high-risk innovative projects and businesses, with a growing role in Europe’s markets for venture debt, venture capital, guarantees and securitisations.

The European Investment Fund (EIF) is the subsidiary of the EIB Group specialised in providing guarantees and equity to improve access to finance for small and medium size businesses and startups across Europe. Acting as an anchor investor, through its extensive network of partnering banks and investment funds, the EIF mobilizes private investment and nurtures the ecosystem of venture capital funds to support innovative European entrepreneurs.

In 2023, the EIF together with six member states (France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Belgium and the Netherlands) launched the European Tech Champions Initiative, a fund of funds to scale-up innovative startups. As of February 2026, this initiative has already enabled the creation of 13 European venture capital mega-funds and scaled up 38 companies, including 11 unicorns (with more than €1 billion in capital).

About EIB Advisory

In addition to financing, the EIB Group offers advisory services that help public and private clients develop markets, build capacity and support high impact investment projects. In 2025 EIB Advisory helped accelerate project delivery and crowd in finance for 179 projects worth more than €80 billion inside and outside the EU.     

About ELENA

The European Local Energy Assistance (ELENA) facility is run by the EIB on behalf of the European Commission. It advises public authorities and private entities on the design and implementation of energy efficiency and building-integrated renewable energy investments and innovative urban transport. As of end of 2025, ELENA has allocated over €374 million in grants to 206 projects across the EU, supporting sustainable investments of over €12.7 billion.

In line with the Energy Efficiency Directive (EED) under ELENA the EIB can support  a Member State in setting up a so called “National ELENA” facility.

For further details on ELENA see www.eib.org/elena