BAKU, Azerbaijan, November 29. Eindhoven, a Dutch municipality, has signed an advisory agreement with the European Investment Bank (EIB), funded by the European Commission, to advance its long-term “route towards climate neutrality”, Trend reports via the Bank.
The municipality aims to become a fully circular city by 2050 and to use only sustainably generated energy from 2045 onward — a transition that requires a decisive shift away from fossil fuels, particularly natural gas.
To achieve this, the municipality plans to develop a centralized district heating network and integrate suitable renewable heat sources. The advisory assignment, managed by the EIB under the Climate Neutral and Smart Cities Mission, will support the development and implementation of the financing strategy for this major heating investment program. It will also identify which components of the needed financial scale-up still require development, in coordination with the EIB and financial market stakeholders.
The advisory work includes preparing and reviewing the project investment plan and defining the financing strategy for establishing a new municipal energy entity. It also covers a technical review of proposed interventions, demand analysis, strategic considerations for tariff structures, risk management, an implementation timeline, and guidance on organizational arrangements to support the project.
The municipality recently received the European Commission’s “Mission Label” and has become the first city in the Netherlands to obtain dedicated EIB Advisory support under the program funded by the Commission’s Directorate-General for Research and Innovation (DG RTD).