The funding will be available for projects mainly in the gas and electricity sectors that address security of supply issues and will help end the energy isolation of some of the member states.
The projects will also contribute to the completion of a Europe-wide internal energy market and the integration of renewables to the energy grid, the commission said.
Interested companies are required to submit their proposals by 19 August 2014 and the commission will take the final decision on which projects will get the CEF funding by November 2014.
European Energy Commissioner Günther Oettinger said the current Ukraine crisis underlines the importance of upgrading energy infrastructure and building missing interconnections between Member States in order to enhance the energy security in the EU.
"In general Member States can only help each other with energy supplies, if they are well connected. Moreover, improving the energy infrastructure is a prerequisite for completing the internal energy market for the benefit of consumers and businesses in the EU," Oettinger said.
The EC has allocated €5.85bn under the Connecting Europe Facility to trans-European energy infrastructure for the period 2014 to 2020.
The commission said in order to apply for a grant, a project has to be included in the list of projects of common interest.
Image: European Energy Commissioner Günther Oettinger. Photo: Courtesy of Jacques Grießmayer.
