Kraftlyftet – Production and storage
Investment grants for renewable power generation and connected energy storage that strengthen Sweden’s electricity supply. The 2026 application round has closed.
Kraftlyftet supports investments that need a grant to become commercially viable. The grant is limited to the amount that brings the investment’s net present value—future income minus costs expressed in today’s money—to just above zero. A project already viable without support does not qualify.
Base ceilings are 45% of eligible investment costs for generation using only renewable fuels and qualifying hydropower upgrades, and 30% for storage or bio-CHP using recovered wood chips with fossil content. Small companies may receive 20 additional percentage points; medium-sized companies may receive 10. The viability limit still applies. A company can receive at most EUR 30 million per project.
Payment may include up to 20% of the awarded grant in advance and up to 30% of that grant during project implementation. The remainder may be paid annually for up to seven years after completion, linked to annual depreciation—the investment cost allocated to each year in the accounts. Unused support is repayable if costs fall; cost overruns receive no extra funding.
Eligibility
Companies, municipalities and regions can apply for Swedish projects that enable new electricity use to connect to the grid or maintain reliable electricity supply. The agency prioritises near-term benefits, particularly in southern electricity bidding zones SE3 and SE4, while allowing projects meeting strong local needs elsewhere. Projects must be installed, tested and ready for use by December 31, 2031.
Eligible investments are:
- Converting a heat-only plant to bio-CHP, or building or substantially upgrading bio-CHP that produces electricity and useful heat together. High efficiency normally means at least 10% primary-energy savings compared with separate heat and power production; small CHP below 1 MW of electrical capacity and micro-CHP below 50 kW can qualify with positive savings.
- New or upgraded gas turbines using renewable fuels.
- Electricity or heat storage directly connected to renewable electricity generation. At least 75% of the energy entering storage each year must come from that generator. Electricity storage normally shares the generator’s internal network exempt from a network concession. Heat storage needs a direct link and a common connection point to the district-heating network; connection only farther out in that network does not qualify. Batteries are expected to be at least 1 MW to have a chance of funding, and storage must provide additional capabilities the market would not otherwise deliver, such as supplying energy for longer than would be commercially justified without support.
- Upgrades to hydropower plants with existing installed capacity of at most 10 MW; capacity may exceed 10 MW after the upgrade. Existing-plant upgrades should be extensive enough to give a subsequent technical life broadly comparable with a new plant.
Biofuels must be covered by a formal hållbarhetsbesked under Sweden’s fuel-sustainability legislation (Act 2010:598), not simply described as sustainable. This approval must cover the fuels used when a new or upgraded plant enters service. Waste fuel is excluded unless entirely biomass, with recovered wood chips expressly allowed, including specified grades containing fossil material. Industrial-quality roundwood, stumps and roots are excluded. Limited fossil fuel for purposes other than producing electricity or heat, such as restarting after an outage, is permitted.
Companies need Swedish F-tax approval or, for foreign companies, documentation of equivalent tax and fee checks in their home country. The same rule applies to companies performing supported labour. Companies in financial difficulty, liquidation, bankruptcy or restructuring are excluded, as are those with an EU illegal-aid recovery demand, relevant public debts transferred to enforcement, overdue Energy Agency grant repayments, or influential persons subject to a business ban. Legally or permit-required measures are excluded. Secure full project financing by the award date.
Apply before construction, binding equipment orders or other irreversible commitments. Planning, quotations, permits, land purchase or lease agreements, and feasibility studies do not themselves count as starting the project. Starting after submission but before approval is at your own financial risk.
Small-company status requires fewer than 50 staff and turnover or balance-sheet total no greater than EUR 10 million. Medium-sized status falls within the SME ceiling of fewer than 250 staff and turnover no greater than EUR 50 million or balance-sheet total no greater than EUR 43 million. Count staff as annual full-time equivalents, including fractions for part-year, part-time and seasonal work. Include relevant partner and linked companies when determining size.
Claim only reasonable, actual, separately identifiable costs borne by the recipient during the approved project period. Unpaid work and general overheads are excluded; VAT qualifies only as a net cost. Related-company consultants are limited to actual salary and employment costs.
How to apply
- Status
- closed
- Closes
- Round restrictions
- 2026 intake closed. May 7 applied to gas turbines, storage and hydropower; July 1 only to specified bio-CHP investments.
The 2026 deadline was May 7 for gas turbines, storage and hydropower upgrades, and July 1 for the specified bio-CHP investments. Submit one Swedish-language application per project through Mina sidor. Obtain authority to represent the lead applicant in advance; this can take several days. Signing requires BankID, so an authorised colleague with BankID must submit if you do not have it.
Attach the supplementary project form, timetable, monthly or quarterly cash-flow forecast through commissioning, net-present-value calculation with and without support, and cost-benefit analysis. The forecast must show money available when bills arise. You may use your own net-present-value calculator if it clearly contains the same information as the agency’s template. Explain grid benefit, technical design, permits, land access and delivery risks in the forms.
Declare other public support for the same costs, including de minimis aid. For upgrades, exclude historic support for different construction costs; show ongoing production support as income in the investment calculation. Click the final submit button. Unsolicited material sent after closing is not assessed.
Monitor Mina sidor and email for requests and decisions. Payment requires a bankgiro or plusgiro account—Swedish payment-account arrangements—linked to the award recipient’s own organisation number, not another group company’s. Provide progress reports and the final auditor’s certificate required by the call, and consent to publication of award information when support exceeds EUR 100,000.
Request material project changes in advance. Cost-category shifts up to 10% are accepted; a change request is required when the shift exceeds 10% and SEK 50,000. Advance funding must be separated from the organisation’s funds in a separate account within five working days. Unused advance funds and interest must be returned. Payments can be withheld if less than 90% of earlier payments has been used for the project.