23 January 2024

Industrial Energy Transformation Fund (IETF) launches Phase 3 competition window

The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) has today launched the Phase 3: Spring 2024 competition window of the Industrial Energy Transformation Fund (IETF). 

Businesses in England, Wales and Northern Ireland can now bid for a share of up to £185m million in grant funding through the Phase 3: Spring 2024 competition window. 

To view the applicant guidance and make an application for funding, please visit our competition page. Changes in IETF Phase 3 from previous funding rounds in Phases 1 and 2 include:

• IETF will expand its sector scope to include Controlled Environment Horticulture activities and industrial laundries and textile renting facilities. 
• Coal mining activities will no longer be eligible for funding through the IETF. 
• Companies with industrial sites located in England, Wales or Northern Ireland, but registered in Scotland, will be able to apply to the IETF, providing they meet other eligibility requirements. 
• The IETF will lower the minimum grant threshold from £100,000 to £75,000 for Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) only, and in tandem will look to simplify the application process. 
• Applications for deployment projects requesting a grant of £5 million or above must submit a feasibility study or engineering study to support their application.  

The competition will open for applications on Monday 29 January 2024 and will run until 3pm on Friday 19 April 2024. The competition will provide grant funding towards the costs of: 

• Studies - feasibility and engineering studies to investigate identified energy efficiency and decarbonisation projects prior to an investment decision. 
• Energy Efficiency projects - deployment of technologies to reduce industrial energy consumption. 
• Deep Decarbonisation projects - deployment of technologies to achieve industrial emissions savings.

To read the Government Response to the recent IETF Phase 3 consultation, please click here. Case studies of Phase 1 and 2 competition winners can be found here.  

If you have any questions about the Phase 3 competition or would like to discuss a potential application, please contact [email protected]. Via this email address we offer a free eligibility check service and can provide support on how to apply. We have also published answers to Frequently Asked Questions.

The competition is open to the following sectors, organisations and professionals including: 

• Manufacturing
• Data centres
• Mining and quarrying companies
• Recovery and recycling of materials companies.
• Controlled environment horticulture
• Industrial laundries

IETF Phase 3: Spring 2024 stakeholder event

We invite you to join our online IETF Phase 3: Spring 2024 webinar on Tuesday 6 February 2024. It will be an opportunity to:

• Hear about the scope of the competitions
• Hear from industrial site owners who were funded in Phases 1 and 2
• Learn about eligibility criteria
• Learn how to make an application for funding
• Network online and develop partnerships for the competitions
• Speak with DESNZ online for one-to-one discussions about the competitions.

To register for the webinar, please visit our registration site.

The event will be recorded and will be available to stakeholders to view at any time via a playback system. 

To help potential applicants to find suitable partners, we have launched the IETF networking platform. To register and book meetings, please visit https://ietf-phase3.meeting-mojo.com. DESNZ officials will also offer one-to-one confidential discussions via the networking platform on the day of the briefing event.

DESNZ will offer fortnightly stakeholder clinics throughout the window. Further details will be shared in due course. Applicants can also view videos from past winners and suppliers of eligible technologies on our Virtual Technology Marketplace. To register for the Technology Marketplace, please visit our registration site.

Details on other funding opportunities can be found here. We will run a further IETF competition window in 2024 but encourage you to apply early to the Fund to maximise your chances of success. 

For information on DESNZ’s privacy policy, please visit the department’s personal information charter page on Gov.uk.