Tuesday 5 April 2022

Portugal targets 80% renewables by 2026

The Portuguese government has announced a new target for renewables to make up 80% of its electricity production by 2026.

This target has been brought forward four years from 2030, as the country looks to bolster its climate ambitions.

Portugal has been increasing its renewable capacity for the last decade, with production rising to 58% from 41% between 2010 and 2022.

To speed up the deployment of solar projects, the government is also set to stop environmental impact assessments for sites that have a capacity lower than 50MW.

In 2021, Portugal deployed around 1.5GW of solar, with an aim to increase this to 9GW by 2030.

Secretary of State for Energy, João Galamba, said: “It has become clear that we need a significant acceleration in the transition from fossil to renewable energy sources in this decade and that solar will continue to play a key role in this process.”