The European Investment Bank (EIB) and Commerzbank have agreed to cooperate on a €1.2 billion financing initiative to support new energy investments across Germany. The programme is designed to support local energy projects and address sector-wide investment requirements, with a focus on smaller municipal schemes involving total project costs below €80 million. This is the first financing programme under the new pan-European Growth for Energy (G4E) initiative.
Under the arrangement, the EIB will assume up to 50 per cent of Commerzbank’s risk exposure for loans linked to eligible municipal-level energy projects. This risk-sharing approach enables Commerzbank to reduce the capital and credit required per sub-loan. Moreover, the mechanism is expected to expand the bank’s overall lending capacity and accelerate the disbursement of funds to projects in electricity generation, district heating, and grid development. The financing is expected to facilitate upgrades to local energy infrastructure, empower municipal utilities, broaden access to long-term funding, and contribute to national and EU energy goals.
In November 2025, the EIB signed a €500 million green loan with Iberdrola for the development of the Windanker offshore wind farm in the German Baltic Sea. The project will have an offshore wind capacity of 315 MW. Construction began with the installation of the first monopile earlier in November 2025, with turbine installation scheduled for 2026, and full commissioning expected by the fourth quarter of 2026.