BAKU, Azerbaijan, Feb.12. The European
Investment Bank (EIB) has committed 60 million euros to launch a
new financing platform managed by energy transition investment
adviser Solas Capital to accelerate energy efficiency investments
by small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) across Europe, the
bank said, Trend reports.


The EIB investment will be made through Solas Capital’s
successor fund, the Solas Sustainable Energy Fund II (SSEF II), and
is aimed at helping SMEs cut energy costs and reduce carbon
emissions. SMEs account for the vast majority of businesses in the
European Union and play a central role in economic growth and
employment.


The co-financing platform is expected to mobilise close to 400
million euros, including private-sector capital, to support the
deployment of technologies such as LED lighting, insulation, heat
pumps, rooftop solar systems and electric vehicle charging
infrastructure in several EU countries.


The initiative builds on a previous 30 million euro EIB
commitment in 2022 to the Solas Sustainable Energy Fund (SSEF), a
220 million euro energy efficiency debt fund advised by Solas
Capital. The partnership will continue to expand so-called “energy
as a service” financing, under which companies shift from
purchasing equipment outright to buying fixed energy services.







This model allows SMEs and other eligible beneficiaries to
access proven, advanced technologies that deliver immediate and
measurable energy savings, while offering investors asset-backed
and contracted cash flows, the EIB said.


The new platform was inaugurated at a signing ceremony in
Luxembourg attended by partner banks and other stakeholders. The
event focused on green intermediated financing and advisory
products offered by the EIB Group, which includes the European
Investment Fund (EIF).


The EIB Group, owned by the European Union’s 27 member states,
is one of the world’s largest multilateral development banks. In
2025, it signed 100 billion euros in new financing and advisory
services for more than 870 projects aligned with EU policy
priorities, including climate action, digitalisation, security and
defence, territorial cohesion, agriculture, social infrastructure
and global partnerships.