Portugal to boost clean energy production
The country's medium and long-term national path in energy involves increasing production and supply from non-polluting sources.
Portugal’s minister of territorial cohesion said on Tuesday that the medium and long-term national path in energy involves increasing production and supply from non-polluting sources.
“Besides direct support [from the state], the path for companies will have to be to increase the supply of clean energy. All the support we have in the Recovery and Resilience Plan (RRP) and Portugal 2030 goes in that direction,” said Ana Abrunhosa, in Penela, in the district of Coimbra.
The minister, who was speaking to journalists at the end of a visit to the metal-mechanics company SIRL, one of the world’s largest manufacturers of concrete mixers, said that this is “the only way forward, otherwise, the country would become dependent on countries whose geopolitics is unstable.”
Abrunhosa said she was pleased to see that in recent times the production of clean electricity has been increasing in the country, “with the advantage that inland territories are the most suitable for producing energy from clean sources”.
“This is also a great opportunity for these inland territories, where we have soil and resources available for us to produce energy from clean sources because there is no package that supports if we do not take the path of producing energy from renewable sources,” she stressed.
About the aid package for companies to help minimise the impacts of rising energy prices and inflation, Abrunhosa reiterated that the government was waiting for Friday’s meeting of the European Union before presenting its support plans, as was done for the population.
“We are very concerned about companies that consume gas, of which SIRL is one of the examples, with costs increasing fivefold from €3,000 a month to €15,000,” she stressed, recalling that the government has a support measure for large consumers, “although they say it is insufficient”.
According to the minister, after understanding what will be done at the European Union level, work will continue on the support package for companies, which will complement the support package for families while ensuring the “measures do not cause inflation”.
SIRL, located in the industrial zone of Penela, is spread over five manufacturing units and employs around 150 people, of which 40% are women.
With an annual turnover of €32 million, it exports more than 70% of its production to 88 countries on all continents of the world and is preparing to build a sixth unit to produce an innovative concrete mixer with a transporter.
