Irrigation subsidies 2023

The funding criteria are related to Article 35, paragraph 1 (Irrigation and Land Reclamation) of Provincial Law 4/2003 'Provincial Law on Agriculture'.

The minimum amount of eligible expenditure required for each individual application for aid - VAT included - must be at least Euro 50,000.00.

The maximum eligible expenditure requested per grant application - VAT included - may not exceed Euro 400,000.00.

Only one application may be submitted per individual beneficiary.

The interventions subject to financing may be carried out before the measure granting the subsidies provided that the works have started and the purchases have been made after the presentation of the regular application for subsidies. The early start-up does not in any case bind the Administration to grant the relevant contribution.

Only eligible costs relating to

1. completion lots of irrigation systems under construction financed under Article 35, paragraph 1 of Provincial Law no. 4/2003;
2. interventions aimed at improving the efficiency, modernisation and safety of existing plants;
3. interventions aimed at extending existing facilities.

Within the above-mentioned eligible costs, the following interventions are eligible for financing

1. the construction, upgrading, rehabilitation and modernisation of works such as reservoirs and water storage basins for irrigation and anti-freezing purposes to be carried out within the surface or underground volumes subject to quarry cultivation on the basis of specific programme agreements approved by the Provincial Council
2. water research for irrigation and anti-frost purposes: work for the digging of wells as well as all the works for the preparation of the well itself and the formation of drainage systems;
3. the construction, upgrading, rehabilitation and modernisation of water catchment works for irrigation purposes (intake works, pumping stations, desanders, filtration plants, etc.)
4. the renovation or construction ex novo of inter-farm adduction systems through the construction, upgrading, rehabilitation and modernisation of delivery works to farms (piping, connections, etc.) limited to the part under direct management by the Consortium;
5. the automation and remote control of irrigation systems and the implementation of systems for measuring the quantity of water drawn and delivered;
6. the construction of ancillary works to the irrigation systems aimed at improving the management of water resources and combining irrigation with other cultivation techniques (fertirrigation, soil moisture meters) with exclusive reference to inter-farm adduction systems.

In order to determine the eligible expenditure when the grant is awarded, the values indicated in the project drawings shall be used, provided they are deemed congruous with reference to the current price list of the Province. In the case of works and works that are different from or difficult to compare with those referred to in the above-mentioned price lists, the values indicated in the project documents shall be taken, provided that they are justified by the designer on the basis of an attached price analysis. In the case of expense items that cannot be found in the price list, different expense items may be considered admissible provided they are justified by the designer on the basis of the attached price analysis. With regard to the execution of building works to measure (excavations, foundations, elevated structures, etc.) the projects, for beneficiaries classifiable as Contracting Authorities, must be submitted in accordance with the regulations in force on Public Works.

Similarly, again for beneficiaries classifiable as Adjudicating Administrations, and with respect to supplies, projects must be submitted pursuant to Provincial Law no. 23 of 19 July 1990 "Disciplina dell'attività contrattuale e dell'amministrazione dei beni della Provincia autonoma di Trento", as amended and supplemented.

VAT shall be recognised as eligible expenditure if it is definitively non-recoverable. To this end, when submitting their grant application, beneficiaries shall declare, in a declaration in lieu of affidavit, that the VAT indicated on the works and on the sums available and whose eligibility for funding is requested cannot be deducted by them. The VAT rate allowed is that in force at the time the grant is awarded.

With reference to the type of works and their location, sums for contingencies up to a maximum of 3% of the eligible costs of the works may be eligible for financing.

Technical expenses are eligible for financing for

1. design
2. works management
3. safety coordination
4. geognostic surveys and investigations
5. screening or environmental impact assessments
6. geological and archaeological surveys

These expenses may be incurred by the beneficiary even before the grant application is submitted.

Technical expenses relating to the design, supervision of works and safety coordination are recognised up to a maximum of 8% of the eligible expenses for works, supplies and contingencies.

If the project is subject to safety regulations, these amounts shall be increased by 2 percentage points for the preparation of the safety plan and related obligations provided for in Legislative Decree 81/08 and subsequent amendments and integrations.

Additional expenses for geognostic surveys/surveys, environmental impact screening/assessments, geological and archaeological surveys and feasibility studies are also eligible, provided they are justified and documented.

The total technical expenses recognised (included in the list above) may not in any case exceed the maximum limit of 12% of the initial eligible expenditure including the contingency item.

Expenditure for the following shall not be considered eligible

• ordinary maintenance interventions
• interventions inherent to distribution at farm level (drip lines, sprinkler poles and sprinkler heads);
• interventions aimed at the construction of plants and infrastructures for hydroelectric purposes;
• simple replacement investments.

The percentage of contribution envisaged is as follows:

LIQUIDATION OF THE CONTRIBUTION

Expenditure eligible for payment shall be that actually incurred by the final beneficiary, supported by invoice.

Settlement of advance payments (states of progress)

Only one advance payment may be made, based on the progress of the initiatives implemented. The amount of the advance payment is calculated within the limit of 80% of the grant awarded.

The following documents must be submitted for the request for advance payments

1. application signed by the President and/or legal representative certifying the amount of the works, purchases and technical expenses incurred, including VAT
2. declaration by the works manager certifying the date of commencement of works and the amount of work performed relating to the SALs paid to the company and requested with the request for advance payment
3. report on the award of the works and/or supplies, stating the names of the firms invited and the tenders received, as well as the type of tender carried out
4. a simple copy of the receipted invoices, in PDF format, together with a copy of the bank transfers and/or bank statements or in any case of the documentation proving the payment, documenting the works admitted to the subsidies. Invoices must include the CUP code (unique project code) and the CIG code, if any. In any case, the beneficiary must make the original invoices available upon request of the administration. Please note that the invoice or supporting document must describe in detail the intervention to which it refers.

Final settlement

On the basis of the type of project financed and where technically feasible, the performance of a hydraulic inspection, carried out on site, by the competent structure is considered for the purposes of settling the grant. In this regard, considering that the availability of water is ensured only during the irrigation season, it is necessary that the beneficiary who intends to submit the application for liquidation outside the irrigation season, makes a prior request for the hydraulic check within the above-mentioned period, in order to avoid a suspension of the deadline for the final liquidation, pending the reopening of the season and the availability of water circulating in the system.

Before the final settlement, the Service will carry out a verification inspection on a sample of 80% of the examined applications, in accordance with Article 19, paragraph 2 bis, of Provincial Law no. 23/92.

The following documents must be submitted for the final payment of the contribution

1. application by the legal representative of the beneficiary entity
2. certificate of regular execution of the works that also certifies compliance with social security and welfare charges
3. measurement booklet
4. accounting drawings;
5. planimetric and accounting comparisons between what has been approved and what has been carried out;
6. final statement of works and sums available;
7. final statement of safety charges;
8. any lists of savings;
9. any submissions and minutes agreeing new prices;
10. in the case of water research, flow tests;
11. if not submitted at the stage of the request for progress report: minutes of the awarding of the works with the names of the companies invited, the bids received, and the type of tender carried out;
12. if not submitted at the stage of the request for progress report: report on the awarding of supplies, including those concerning the final distribution network, as well as the type of tender carried out;
13. if not already communicated at the stage of submission of the initial grant application, indication of the details (date and protocol number) of the document "concession for the use of water", or legitimate title to use the water, also by means of a certificate issued by the competent Service for the Use of Public Waters
14. a simple copy of the receipted invoices, in PDF format, together with a copy of the bank transfers and/or bank statements or in any case of the documentation certifying the payment, documenting the works admitted to the facilities. Invoices must include the CUP code (unique project code) and the CIG code, if any. In any case, the beneficiary must make the original invoices available upon request of the administration. Please note that the invoice or supporting document must describe in detail the intervention to which it refers;
15. declaration concerning the respect of the prohibition of cumulation set out in Article 5 of Provincial Law no. 4/2003 and subsequent amendments and additions
16. declaration of the updating on the SIGRIAN platform of the consortium irrigation scheme with what has been realised with the financed application.

For investigation purposes, the person in charge of the procedure reserves the right to request a digital copy of the above documentation available to the beneficiary.

In the event that, during final settlement, it is found that any contribution disbursed as a result of an application for an advance is in excess of the amount due, the excess will be recovered, plus legal interest.

Farm File (FA)

The applicant must have an up-to-date farm dossier on the date the application is submitted. For the definition of the elements that form the basis for the establishment and updating of the farm file and its validation, please refer to the "Farm File Manual" edited by the Provincial Payments Agency (APPAG) - Contact: appag@provincia.tn.it - 0461/495877.

Single Project Code (CUP), Tender Identification Code (CIG) and payment method.

Expenses paid by the beneficiary by means of a bank or postal transfer or by means of Riba, to the current account in the name of the beneficiary, are eligible.

The Unique Project Code (CUP) must be indicated on all invoices and in all payments. The code is assigned by the Agricultural Service and will be communicated to each beneficiary within the measure granting the contribution. Contracting authorities, which independently download this Code, shall instead communicate it to the competent Structure together with the Tender Identification Code (CIG).

Expenditure supported by documents (invoices and/or payments) without a CUP code will not be eligible for funding.

For documents prior to the communication of the CUP code, reconciliation is permitted by reporting the CUP manually on the invoice (PdF style sheet) and attaching a separate declaration in lieu of affidavit by the applicant, indicating the invoice details, the amount and type of initiatives carried out related to the invoice and the CUP code assigned for such initiatives. In the case of an invoice that has been paid, the details of the payment made and its tracking details must also be indicated. Reconciliation is also permitted, in the same manner as explained above, in the event that a mistake is detected in the typing of the CUP code, which must in any case be written on all documents evidencing expenditure (invoices and payment certificates).

Attention is drawn to the request and citation, on the expenditure documents, of the CIG code, Tender Identification Code, in the matter of traceability of financial flows for public works.

With regard to payments made by means of the F24 form, relating to social security contributions, withholding taxes and social security charges, a copy of the F24 form must be provided with the receipt of the Revenue Office relating to the payment or to the verified compensation or the stamp of the entity accepting the payment (Bank, Post Office).

REQUIREMENTS TO BE MET WITH REGARD TO WATER PROTECTION REGULATIONS

The project to be financed must meet the following requirements

• provide for the installation of fixed meters, if not already present, to volumetrically measure the water consumption in the area subject to the financed works, at the beginning and at the end of the irrigation period, in compliance with the deliberations of the Provincial Council no. 2495 dated 29/12/2016 and no. 2093 dated 19/10/2018 and most recently by the deliberation of the Provincial Council no. 2505 dated 29/12/2022
• the implementation of water flow interruption or partialisation systems that allow the quantities of water not used for irrigation purposes to be released directly to the intake works from which the withdrawal is carried out;
• updating on the SIGRIAN platform of the consortium's irrigation scheme with what has been implemented with the financed application. The fulfilment of this requirement is declared in the application.

DEADLINES FOR THE REALISATION OF THE INITIATIVES

The reporting of the initiatives accepted for funding must be carried out within two years from the date of the decision to grant/approve the contribution. All the documentation required for the payment of the grant must be submitted by that date.

In the event that the grant report is submitted within the deadline set, but the work or intervention has been partially carried out, and if the competent structure deems the work or intervention functional and in line with the purposes for which the grant was awarded, the grant shall be proportionally reduced in accordance with the Resolution of the Provincial Council No. 1980 of 19 September 2007 and subsequent modifications and additions.

With regard to extensions of the deadline for reporting on the initiatives that have been granted funding, any failure to meet the deadline, and any other matters not detailed herein, reference is made to the provisions of Provincial Council Resolution No. 1980 dated 19 September 2007, as amended and supplemented.

ADJUDICATION AND AWARDING OF WORKS AND DESIGN ASSIGNMENTS

Subjects falling under the provisions of the legislation on LL.PP.

In the awarding and entrusting of works and design assignments, compliance is ensured with the community, national and provincial regulations in force regarding public works of provincial interest.

Parties NOT covered by the provisions of the regulations on public works contracts.

In consideration of the types and amounts of works financed, the following awarding procedures are prescribed and must be complied with for the purposes of the eligibility of the expenses reported.

Amounts relating to works and supplies up to Euro 300,000.00:

The contracting authority must invite at least five companies to submit bids. The selection of the companies to be invited to submit bids must be carried out in such a way as to guarantee equal conditions for the submission of bids and secrecy.

The Board of Directors of the beneficiary entity shall record the results of the awarding process in its minutes in which, among other things, the firms invited and the amounts contained in the tenders submitted shall be mentioned. A copy of said minutes shall be included in the documentation to be produced when requesting an advance payment or final settlement.

The award criterion is, as a rule, the lowest price, determined by means of a bid at unit prices or a percentage reduction on the tender amount with the exclusion of safety charges not subject to rebate.

Tender procedures are considered valid, exhausted and complete when there are at least two valid responses from invited firms.

If this is not the case, the contracting authority must repeat the award procedure.

In any case, no increased bids shall be considered valid.

Amounts relating to works and supplies above Euro 300,000.00 up to Euro 1,000,000.00:

The client shall invite at least seven companies to submit bids.

The selection of the companies to be invited to submit bids shall be carried out in such a way as to guarantee equal conditions for the submission of bids and secrecy.

The Board of Directors of the beneficiary entity shall record the results of the award in its own minutes in which, among other things, the firms invited and the amounts contained in the tenders submitted shall be mentioned. A copy of said minutes shall be included in the documentation to be produced when requesting advances, down payments or final settlement.

The award criterion is, as a rule, the lowest price determined by means of an offer at unit prices or an offer of a percentage reduction on the tender amount, with the exclusion of safety charges not subject to rebate.

Tender procedures are considered valid, exhausted and complete when there are at least two valid responses from invited firms.

Otherwise the contracting authority must repeat the award procedure.

In any case, no increased bids are considered valid.

For both types of award prescribed above, the contracting authority is entitled to establish procedures for the exclusion of anomalous bids, also with reference to the procedures laid down in Article 24 of Presidential Decree No. 12-10 Leg. of 30 September 1994 (Regulation implementing Provincial Law No. 26/93), possibly establishing different exclusion limits. Any requests for derogation from the above-mentioned procedures may be authorised by the Department responsible for agriculture, after assessing the reasons expressed with the request.

PROHIBITION OF CUMULATION

Should the beneficiary benefit from further contributions from other public bodies for the initiative being financed, these may not exceed in percentage terms the maximum amount of the public contribution as provided for by Article 5 of Provincial Law no. 4/2003 and subsequent amendments and integrations. Compliance with the aforementioned prohibition on exceeding the aforesaid maximum threshold shall be expressly declared by the beneficiary in the grant application.

At the time of acceptance, the beneficiary shall submit a declaration certifying compliance with the maximum contribution threshold, as a necessary element for the final payment of the aid granted.

OBLIGATIONS OF APPLICANTS AND CHECKS ON THE TRUTHFULNESS OF DECLARATIONS IN LIEU OF AFFIDAVIT

The granting of the contributions referred to in Article 35, paragraph 1 of Provincial Law no. 4/2003 entails the obligation not to alienate, dispose of or divert, even following non-use, the works and assets for which the contributions have been granted from their intended use for the following period

1. 3 years from the date of the request for final liquidation for machinery and movable property;
2. 10 years from the date of the request for final settlement for immovable assets, including fixed equipment.

Checks on compliance with the obligations imposed on applicants by Article 6 of Provincial Law no. 4/2003 are carried out on a sample basis on applications subject to constraints.

The control on the substitutive declarations made is carried out on a sample of at least 5% of the procedures in progress, as defined by the Resolution of the Provincial Council no. 2960 of 23/12/2010. The sample shall be drawn by the competent provincial structure according to the procedures provided for by the aforementioned Resolution of the Provincial Council.

The following subjects listed in Article 2(1)(f) and (g) of Provincial Law no. 4/2003 are eligible for the contributions

• Consorzi di Bonifica recognised by the relevant legislation in force;
• Consorzi di Miglioramento Fondiario di I e II grado recognised by the relevant legislation in force.

The grant application must be submitted, signed by the legal representative, using the computerised procedures made available to users on the portal https://srt.infotn.it.

Access to the restricted area of SRTrento is allowed only to registered users; therefore, each user must first be accredited according to the procedures indicated in the manual on the home page of the SRTrento website.

Applications submitted must be signed using a valid digital signature device. The application must be digitally signed by the person entitled to sign the document, otherwise it will be inadmissible.

For any assistance in accessing and enabling the portal, please contact: helpdesk.srtrento@provincia.tn.it.

VARIANTS

The following are considered variants: change of beneficiary, change of location of the investment, changes in the type of works and/or supplies approved, changes in the type of works and/or supplies approved.

In the general assessment of variants, it is verified that the eligibility requirements and those that determined the approval of the project according to the priority criteria are maintained. Admissible variants are all changes to the original project that do not entail modifications to the objectives and parameters that made the initiative eligible for funding such as to affect its eligibility. Variants must be directly related to the approved project.

All variants must be requested in advance of the execution of the relevant works and/or supplies. The documentation to be attached to the variant application is, in principle, the same as that envisaged for the submission of the initial grant application. The same may be reduced according to the relevance of the variant submitted and with respect to the expenses affected by the variant, including an explanatory report and a comparative table.

Depending on the type and complexity of the variant, the Department, by letter or by determination of the Director, shall express an opinion on the admissibility of the proposed variant and on the possibility of using resources deriving from savings or rebates achieved during the awarding and execution of the works and/or supplies.

Only variants that do not entail an overrun of the total eligible expenditure are admissible. The measure of the intervention is equal to that envisaged for the initial initiative.

In the event that, at the time of acceptance, variants are found that were not communicated in advance, as provided for above, an a posteriori assessment of compliance with the eligibility requirements will be carried out and, based on the outcome, the variants found will be admitted or not.

ASSIGNMENT OF THE CREDIT

The granted contribution may be the subject of credit assignment and is governed by Article 1260 et seq. of the Civil Code.

The public deed drawn up by the notary public shall provide, inter alia, that the Autonomous Province of Trento may oppose to the assignee any exception for facts, even after the assignment, which by virtue of the provisions of the law and of the grant award provisions affect the amount, collectability and extinction of the receivable.

Upon notification of the deed of assignment of the receivable, the structure shall issue a measure acknowledging and taking note of the assignment of the receivable, or a measure opposing the takeover of the new legal entity.

The grant application shall contain a part in the form of a declaration in lieu of affidavit certifying that

• that the applicant has neither applied for nor obtained, for the planned measures, any other assistance except up to the maximum limit of the provisions in force;
• that the initiative does not involve parcels of land falling within areas specifically earmarked by the town planning instruments for building or services;
• that the parcels of land that will benefit from the interventions covered by the grant application fall within the jurisdiction of the applicant body/entity and/or are available to it
• that the plots of land occupied by the structures for the operation of the irrigation system (pumps, filters, tanks, wells, etc.), provided for in the project attached to the application, are owned by or are at the disposal of the applicant through a rental contract or other suitable title (to be referred to in the application and a copy of which must be attached indicating the number of the plots and the cadastral municipality) that guarantees their availability for the entire duration of the constraint
• that any permits for the crossing, tampering, connection and temporary or permanent occupation of areas have been acquired;
• that VAT is not deducted;
• that the applicant's activity is not organised as a business; and
• that the sole auditor, or at least one of the auditors in the case of a college, meets the requirements for entry in the register of auditors

or

• that the financial statements of the consortium, in the year preceding the submission of the grant application, have been audited (cite details) pursuant to Article 29(2)(f) of Provincial Law 9/2007

or

• that an extraordinary audit of the consortium budget has been requested, carried out through one of the entities PAT may avail itself of, pursuant to Article 30, paragraph 1 of Provincial Law 9/2007.

The application must also declare theconsortium surface area that will benefit from the investment and that the provisions of the MIPAAF decree no. 485148 of 30/09/2022 have been fulfilled regarding the obligations to quantify irrigation consumption by registering, in the SIGRIAN database, withdrawals, uses and returns in compliance with regional and state regulations, as well as the items referring to irrigation methods, crops and contributions (the updating of the irrigation schemes is required with the reporting. The declared fulfilments are subject to verification by the competent provincial structure.

Finally, for the purposes of ex officio acquisition, the application must contain details of the following measures, if they are required by the regulations in force, in the applicant's possession

• appropriate valid town planning title and/or relevant authorisations attesting the work's cantierabilità and, if not already referred to in the town planning title itself, also all the acquired authorisations necessary for the realisation of the work

• Details of the irrigation concession or legitimate title to use the water also by means of a certificate issued by the competent Service for the Use of Public Waters, in order to verify the title to derive water (for interventions in the irrigation field). If not in possession at the time of submitting the grant application, it may be replaced by a request to the competent Service for the use of public waters. In this case, the applicant must indicate in the final settlement application the issuance of the aforementioned concession or the legitimate title to use the water, indicating the identification data useful to find them at the competent Service for Public Water Use.

Documents to be attached

For the purpose of timely verification of what has been expressly declared by the beneficiary on the grant application, the documents to be attached are the following

1. copy of the minutes or extract thereof, whereby the competent statutory body approves the initiative in accordance with the statutory provisions;
2. illustrative technical report describing the investment for which funding is requested. The report must also indicate the classification of the investments contained in the application, in accordance with the priority criteria, and their respective weighting in terms of amounts, in order to allow for the correct attribution of priority.
3. metric-estimative computation showing the cost items of the works in relation to the current provincial price list of the Province. In the case of works and works that are different from or difficult to compare with those referred to in the price lists published in the Official Bulletin of the Region of Trentino-Alto Adige, the values indicated in the project documents shall be taken, provided that they are justified by the designer on the basis of a price analysis to be attached to the documentation accompanying the grant application;
4. special tender specifications or similar document, complete with list of unit prices;
5. project drawings in conformity with those filed for the necessary authorisations, including extract map of parcels, chorography and photographic documentation
6. geological report or feasibility opinion drawn up by a qualified technician;
7. certification of the need to draw up the safety plan pursuant to Legislative Decree no. 81/08 and subsequent amendments and integrations;
8. suitable title certifying the availability of the parcels occupied by structures for the operation of the irrigation system, envisaged in the project attached to the application for the entire duration of the constraint.

In the event that the following documentation is not required by law: suitable building title, subjectivity procedure pursuant to Provincial Law 17/09/2013, no. 19 or environmental impact assessment (EIA), geological appraisal or feasibility opinion, forestry authorisation, mountain basin service authorisation, a specific declaration must be submitted by the project manager attesting to this condition.

For investigation purposes, the person in charge of the procedure reserves the right to request a copy of the documentation listed above in digital format available to the beneficiary.

The merit ranking of the grant applications is approved by determination of the Director of the provincial structure responsible for agriculture within 30 days from the day after the deadline for submitting applications.

The respective beneficiaries will be notified of the applications in a useful position in the ranking list for the purposes of funding. Following the communication, the beneficiaries concerned shall promptly submit the extraordinary review, requested at the time of submitting the application for the contribution, but not yet obtained within the deadline eventually assigned by the same Service and in any case in time for the preparation of the measures for the granting of the contribution.

The granting of the contribution is subject to a technical-administrative assessment, drawn up in the form of an opinion, by the person in charge of the procedure and authorised by means of a determination by the Director, which specifies, inter alia, the beneficiary, the eligible expenditure, the percentage of the contribution, the amount of the contribution, the deadlines for the implementation of the initiatives, as well as, pursuant to Article 37 of the Three-Year Plan for the Prevention of Corruption and Transparency 2023-2025, the absence of conflict of interest on the part of the staff involved in the procedure.

With the communication of the grant award, the beneficiary shall be informed and the statement of admitted and ineligible expenses shall be sent for the purpose of requesting the down payment and final balance of the grant.

During the assessment of the grant application the responsible officer may request additions or corrections to the documents submitted.

During the preliminary investigation the compatibility of the proposed investment with the eligibility of the expenses is assessed. If the application does not comply with the eligibility criteria, a rejection decision is taken pursuant to Provincial Law no. 23/92 and subsequent amendments and integrations.

Applications in the ranking list that cannot be financed due to the exhaustion of financial resources are subject to a non-acceptance measure pursuant to Provincial Law no. 23/92.

PRIORITY CRITERIA

The order of priority of the applications submitted takes into account the type of investment, included in priority classes, in the following order

CLASS 1

Lots for the completion of irrigation systems under construction financed under art. 35, paragraph 1 of Provincial Law 4/03. Priority will be given to applications with a prevalence (in terms of amount) of completion investments necessary for the operation of the irrigation system (e.g. pumping systems, filtering, electricity connections, derivation works) over applications with a prevalence of completion investments aimed at extending the system to new areas.

CLASS 2

Interventions aimed at the efficiency, modernisation and safety of existing installations. Priority will be given to applications with a preponderance (in terms of amount) of investments for the efficiency, modernisation and safety of the equipment necessary for the operation of the irrigation system (e.g. pumping systems, filtering, electricity connections, derivation works) compared to applications with a preponderance of investments for the efficiency, modernisation and safety of the network and distribution system.

CLASS 3

Interventions aimed at the expansion of existing plants.

Within each class, applications with similar priority will be ordered according to the estimated investment cost per unit of area involved, with priority given to applications with the lowest cost. The area that will benefit from the investment must therefore be declared on the application form.

In the event of a further tie, priority will be assigned with reference to the chronological order in which the applications are submitted, ascertained on the basis of the protocol number.