THERMIE brings substantial benefits to the Community A cost-benefit analysis, carried out by DG XVII, proves that successful selection and dissemination of THERMIE projects brings substantial benefits in helping to achieve the Community's energy and environmental policy objectives. The technologies selected for support and disse... A cost-benefit analysis, carried out by DG XVII, proves that successful selection and dissemination of THERMIE projects brings substantial benefits in helping to achieve the Community's energy and environmental policy objectives. The technologies selected for support and dissemination offer cost-effective options for lowering the overall energy consumption of the Community. Closely linked to this is the contribution which these technologies make to reducing pollutant emissions, particularly CO2. This is extremely important in relation to the Community objective of stabilizing its CO2 emissions by the year 2000 at the 1990 level. In 1992, 577 proposals were received for consideration for support. Of these, 154 projects were selected for support totalling ECU 128 million. The cost-benefit analysis has been completed for the projects selected in 1992 with the aim of assessing the costs and anticipated benefits of THERMIE projects on both economic and environmental grounds. The induced investment from the initial 1992 projects, generated by the Community's support to these projects, amounts to ECU 300 million. The total investment created by the initial 1992 projects totals ECU 703 million. Adding the estimated replication for each project, it is estimated that an additional dissemination impact of ECU 860 million will be generated over the period of analysis. The total energy savings and/or substitution resulting from the projects and their replication amount to TOE 52.4 million. The avoided environmental damage is directly linked to these savings and/or substitutions and to the sector where the savings are being achieved. They amount to: - 220.232 ktonnes of CO2; - 1694 ktonnes of SO2; - 657 ktonnes of NOx; - 61 ktonnes of VOC; - 310 ktonnes of CO. Over the same time period and in aggregated terms, the 1992 projects will increase the Community's income by more than ECU 400 million.
