On November 21, 2025, the National Energy Agency published the call for proposals under the Jedlik Ányos Energy Program titled “Supporting renewable energy production and energy storage for businesses”, which was also mentioned in our previous newsletter. The aim is to provide cash grants for establishing or expanding energy storage facilities and associated renewable energy production capacities.

Compared to the version released for public consultation, the final call has changed in a few points, so we summarize the key conditions.

Any company operating in Hungary can apply. The budget is HUF 50 billion, of which HUF 25 billion is reserved for micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises. The expected number of supported projects is 2,500–2,600, according ot the grantor’s estimate.

Aid intensity:

• For large enterprises: 30%
• For medium enterprises: 40%
• For micro and small enterprises: 50%

The limit of grant amount per applicant is minimum HUF 10 million and maximum HUF 1 billion, this also limits project sizes.

Projects can be interesting from HUF 30 million upwards for energy storage investments, but based on previous experience, for large enterprises, participation is worthwhile mainly for projects of HUF 300–500 million.

Energy storage investments can serve several purposes, the most common of which include reducing consumption peaks, ensuring a stable voltage level, storing surplus renewable energy production, optimizing consumption profiles, and increasing energy independence.

We consider the following details to be extremely important regarding the application:

• An energy storage facility can be granted aid on its own; however, energy generation is only eligible for aid if combined with storage capacity, up to a maximum of 33% of the costs (this was previously 30%).
• The eligibility of several costs is capped (e.g., feasibility study, project management).
• The project must be completed by the end of 2028 (this was previously the end of 2027).
• A feasibility study is required.
• A 3-year maintenance period must be undertaken (instead of the previous 5 years).

No aid will be provided if housing/residential development would take place at the project site; if energy production at the project site is exclusively intended for feeding into the public grid or district heating system; or if the project aims to disconnect from the district heating system or the public grid.

When evaluating applications, particular attention will be paid to environmental aspects and the increase in energy supply from renewable sources (and self-sufficiency), the increase in energy efficiency, the specific cost of the investment, as well as the lifespan of the planned capacity and the proportion of recycled elements relative to the total storage capacity.

Applications can be submitted from January 12, 2026, 10:00 AM, until February 15, 2026, 4:00 PM.

Additional tax benefits and other cash grants are also available for energy investments:

• Compared to tax incentives, this grant offers a broader range of eligible costs and supports energy production (albeit to a limited extent).
• Compared to the VIP cash subsidy scheme, this call allows small businesses to apply and supports energy storage or generation capacity expansion without requiring other capacity-increasing investments.

PwC can provide assistance throughout the entire application process regarding the aforementioned opportunity, starting from the preliminary energy-technical and application potential assessment of the planned project, through the preparation of the feasibility study, to the preparation of the necessary documentation for the application and support in the application procedure. Our experts have extensive experience in energy consulting, economic/return on investment calculations, energy-related tax incentives and cash grants, as well as energy legal regulations and energy audits. If such opportunities may be relevant for your company, we recommend contacting PwC experts to explore all potential options.