EPTA GROUP MACHINERY AND RDI

The project concerns the promoter's investments in Research, Development and Innovation (RDI) on industrial refrigerators and related product and investments in Advanced Manufacturing Technology (AMT). The activities will be carried out in Italy over the period between 2018 and 2021.

The RDI part of the project aims at developing new products and upgrade its existing ones in terms of performance, energy efficiency and compliance with the new directives on refrigerants. The AMT part of the project aims at upgrading and expanding the promoter's manufacturing capacity in Italy with state-of-the-art machinery and equipment to improve the manufacturing efficiency of its production sites.

Research and development activities on refrigerators are not listed in any of the annexes of the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Directive 2014/52/EU amending the Directive 2011/92/EU. The project does not include any new constructions. The planned capital investments will be installed in already-authorised facilities. The financed R&D activities will be carried out in existing facilities, already authorised, that will not change their scope due to the project, thus not requiring any additional environmental permits.

The promoter is a private company not operating in the Utilities sector and does not have the status of a contracting authority. Thus, it is not covered by the EU Directives on procurement. The procurement procedures to be followed by the promoter are suitable for the project and satisfactory to the EIB.