Portugal increases offshore wind power auction to 10 GW

The government is preparing a list of coastal locations and other technical aspects related to the auction.
Portugal has increased the target of its first offshore wind power auction to 10 GW with the aim of accelerating the energy transition.

Reuters reported that Environment Minister Duarte Cordeiro announced the decision this week.

In June this year, the government set a target of 6-8 GW in its first offshore wind power auction, which is scheduled for next year.

The Russian invasion of Ukraine has caused the energy crisis and has forced many countries to focus more and more on renewable energy generation capacity.

Cordeiro said that a list of coastal locations and other technical aspects is currently being prepared.

In his speech before the parliamentary commission he said: “We have an urgency and we are going to accelerate everything that is renewable.
“We want to launch a large offshore wind power auction and our ambition now is to reach 10 GW of capacity.”

Portugal currently has 7.3 GW of hydroelectric capacity and 5.6 GW of onshore wind capacity, which together represent 83% of its total installed capacity.

The country also has a 25MW floating wind project located off the Atlantic coast.

Last week, governments across Europe allocated 500 billion euros ($491.9 million) to support citizens and businesses amid rising gas and energy prices, Reuters reported, citing a report by the group. of Bruegel experts.

The member states of the European Union have allocated a total of 314,000 million euros for this purpose, while the United Kingdom has allocated 178,000 million euros.

Bruegel said that, including cash earmarked to nationalize, bail out or lend to power utilities, the total figure is closer to €450 billion.

Governments announced various measures to stem the rise in retail energy prices, including cutting energy taxes and offering subsidies to taxpayers.

Following Western and European sanctions over its invasion of Ukraine, Russia, in retaliation, has reduced its fuel exports to Europe, causing gas and energy prices to rise sharply.