State gives more time to auctioned solar project winners
The idea is to give the winners more time to license their projects, given the difficulties created by the pandemic. No cancellations are expected for the time being.
Government is pushing back the deadlines for solar projects already auctioned. According to Jornal de Negócios, the idea is to give the winners more time to license their projects, given the difficulties raised by the pandemic. In addition, a further extension of the 2020 winners’ deadlines is still being assessed. For the time being, it is not foreseen that these projects will have to be cancelled.
Two orders have already been issued to give the winners of the 2019 solar auctions four more months to obtain the operating licence: until January 2023 if they are not subject to an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) or July 2023 if they lack such an assessment. The same is being considered for the 2020 auctions, but for now the deadlines are May 2024 (without EIA) and November 2024 (with EIA).
These extensions are justified by the Portuguese government with the “extraordinary effects arising from the pandemic, which go beyond the normal market risks”. Both the Ministry of Environment, the Portuguese Renewable Energy Association (APREN) and several of the companies that won the auctions indicate that, for the time being, the need to cancel projects is not expected.
