Portugal okays 30 MW of small renewables to start operations

Portugal has allowed 30 MW of small renewable electricity systems to commence production immediately as a provisional measure due to the current coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic.

The Portuguese minister for the environment and climate action, Joao Pedro Matos Fernandes, last week gave the go-ahead to a total of 220 projects.

The move benefits renewable energy systems from small (UPP) and self-consumption (UPAC) producers with capacity below 1 MW. These systems can begin generating power immediately without having to wait for final approvals, the ministry pointed out.

With this new decision, UPP and UPAC systems are not held back anymore as it was the case when the country's prime minister Antonio Costa declared a state of emergency in response to the spread of the virus.

Once the state of emergency is lifted, the usual approvals regime will be reinstated including the payment of fees and the need to obtain the exploration licences, the ministry announced.

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