NKÚ audit: Industry Ministry subsidies for energy savings and renewables fail on impact and uptake

The Supreme Audit Office (NKÚ) has published the findings of an audit focused on funds spent by the Ministry of Industry and Trade (MPO) to support improvements in energy efficiency and renewable energy sources (RES). The audit covered the period from 2018 to May 2025 at the MPO, the Agency for Enterprise and Innovation, and 16 selected support recipients. According to the auditors, the subsidies delivered minimal effect, and suspected breaches of budgetary discipline were identified at several audited recipients. The office filed criminal complaints against these entities, delaying publication of the audit findings.

According to NKÚ findings, total support paid out under the audited programmes exceeded CZK 26.4 billion as of 1 May 2025. However, the auditors' conclusions show that the billions distributed had only a negligible impact on actual energy consumption, while targets are not being met under a number of subsidy schemes.

OP PIK: Low interest, looser criteria and negligible impact