The long-awaited moment has finally arrived: with the approval of the PNRR decree-law by the Council of Ministers on Feb. 26, 2024, and its entry into force on April 30 with its publication in the Official Gazette (
The resources earmarked for this plan amount to 6.3 billion euros from the Re Power EU program, which is in addition to the 6.4 billion already planned for the Transition 4.0 Plan, for a total of about 13 billion in the two-year period 2024-2025 to support the digitization and environmental sustainability of Italian companies.
Who is it intended for?
All companies operating on national soil, regardless of size or business sector.
To whom is it not intended?
According to Art. 38, paragraph 3, companies in situations of voluntary liquidation, bankruptcy, compulsory administrative liquidation, composition with creditors without business continuity, or subject to other insolvency procedures provided for by the bankruptcy law or the Business Crisis and Insolvency Code, as well as those involved in proceedings for the declaration of such situations, are not eligible for the facility. In addition, enterprises subject to disqualification sanctions under the rules on administrative liability of legal persons are not eligible.
Enterprises qualifying for the tax credit must comply with occupational safety regulations in their sector and properly fulfill their obligations to pay social security and welfare contributions for workers.
Eligible investments
The Plan promotes the purchase of 4.0 assets, both tangible and intangible, that are integrated into the company’s production management system or supply network. These investments must ensure a reduction in energy consumption of at least 3 percent at the production unit level or 5 percent at the level of the production process involved.
In addition, the following are eligible for subsidy:
- ● The purchase of assets necessary for self-production and self-consumption from renewable sources, excluding biomass, with photovoltaic modules that meet the requirements of Decree Law 181 of 09/12/2023, Art. 12.
● Expenses for staff training in green transition skills, up to 10% of the expenditure in capital goods and up to a maximum of 300,000 euros, provided by qualified external entities.
Facilitation
The tax credit varies according to investment expenditure:
- ● 35% of the expenditure for investments up to 2.5 million euros
- ● 15 percent of the expenditure for investments exceeding 2.5 million euros and up to 10 million euros
- ● 5% of the expenditure for investments exceeding €10 million and up to a maximum limit of €50 million in eligible costs per year for each beneficiary enterprise.
● However, the benefit can increase up to 40% and 45% respectively if the reduction in energy consumption is more than 6% and 10%, calculated on an annual basis compared to the previous year.
Certifications
Obtaining the benefit is subject to the submission of certifications issued by an independent evaluator, both “ex ante” to measure the reduction in energy consumption and “ex post” to verify the actual implementation of the investment and interconnection.
For SMEs, certification expenses are recognized up to a maximum of 10,000 euros in addition to the tax credit.
Access to the tax credit
To access the tax credit, it is necessary to submit a telematic application using the standardized form provided by the Gestore dei Servizi Energetici (GSE) and the required documentation, including a report describing the investment project and specifying its cost.
After the GSE verifies the documentation, the list of eligible companies and the amount reserved is forwarded to the Ministry.
The tax credit can be used exclusively by offsetting through the F24 form, submitted through the telematic services of the Revenue Agency, five days after the GSE transmits the list of beneficiaries.