Message from the President - July 2023

 

At the end of last May, the report of the preparatory working group for the launch of offshore wind energy auctions was handed over to the Government. A very important step in which APREN actively participated, to ensure an effective auction design for all stakeholders involved, defending the interests of APREN Members.

This report has been made public in a joint communiqué from three ministries: Ministry of Environment and Climate Action, Ministry of Economy and the Sea, and Ministry of Infrastructure; summarising the main recommendations made by the working group. The full report is also available for consultation here.

Another stage of the offshore wind development process is completed – one of many that are yet to come. It was also one of the topics addressed at the “Oceanic Renewables Summit”, the first APREN conference dedicated to ocean renewables that also took place last May.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank the participation and presence of about 380 participants, about 30 speakers, 20 sponsors and their representatives and the APREN team. Together they enabled the realization of the event, which, in my modest opinion, was a milestone in the Iberian offshore wind sector. You can still have access to various contents from this day of debates, namely the full emission of the event as well as the speakers' presentations.

We know that one of the main barriers to the advancement of renewables remains the permitting process, which is lengthy and unclear. It is with great pleasure that I announce that the licensing guide for onshore renewable projects APREN, a joint work with the Portuguese Environment Agency (APA) and the Directorate-General for Energy and Geology (DGEG), is finally completed and is under review by the entities involved. Very soon we will announce its publication.

At the same time that we have finished this permitting guide, we began another study with a very relevant theme: “Valuing biodiversity and the sustainable and economic development of projects at the interface with municipalities”. The study aims to reduce and/or eliminate local resistance (namely with municipalities) to the development of renewable energy projects.

Thus, it will identify the opportunities and added value that the renewable sector creates for the valorization of biodiversity and, consequently, for the development of municipalities, involving them as stakeholders for the creation of joint value, and contributing to greater social acceptance.

Another important news, and as you will surely know, the Portuguese government's proposal for the National Energy and Climate Plan (NECP) was delivered in Brussels. APREN has applauded the Government's firm commitment to accelerating the climate and energy transition, but took a stand by recalling that it is still necessary to overcome the obstacles that have plagued the renewable sector for several years. The difficulties and the slowness of the permitting process for renewable projects have been central problems for several years, and it is urgent to increase the capacity, modernization and digitalization of the institutions involved in the process. You can read here our reaction in the press release sent to the media.

On the other hand, the DGEG sent for public consultation the rules for the first auction of biomethane and green hydrogen in Portugal, a procedure which general contours had been defined at the end of last year. The public consultation will run until the end of July, and only then will it proceed with the auction of renewable gases. Given the important place of renewable gases on the road to decarbonisation, this is a fundamental and long-awaited step.

In order to defend the interests of the sector and promote the importance of renewables in the present and future, APREN also launched the “Energy Minute”. This is a television project of APREN with RTP, in partnership with ADENE, which aims to explain simple themes of Renewables and Energy to consumers, as part of the path to the energy transition.

We know that the issues of our daily lives as experts in the sector are increasingly important to the general public, but that they are not always easy to explain. This initiative aims to explain the main themes in a language accessible to all. There will be 13 episodes, which you can follow directly on RTP and review whenever necessary in the APREN’s Youtube channel.

Continuing on the path of innovation, APREN is developing the “Circular Wind Farms project”, which aims to evaluate the circularity potential of wind production facilities located in Portugal and propose an end-of-life management model aligned with the principles of the circular economy, in line with the objectives proposed by the European Union in this matter.

The Phase I of this project carried out a prospective assessment of the quantities of waste to be managed and the technologies and stakeholders to be mobilized to ensure its recovery. Phase II intends to evaluate with stakeholders the circularity scenarios for the wind sector, and establish an ambition that guides the development of the management model of wind turbines at the end of life. In this context, on June 7, APREN developed a workshop to develop a ‘design thinking’ approach.

The involvement of the actors of the wind sector is central to evaluate the various perspectives in the development of a comprehensive vision of the future. So, we consider that this is a very important project to ensure the sustainability of the sector.

APREN also continues to promote the sector in the Portuguese media. In addition to the coverage of the “Oceanic Renewables Summit” event and the various status points on the development of this technology, I also recommend:

• My first visit (first of many, one hopes!) to the TV show Negócios da Semana, moderated by José Gomes Ferreira, and in which I had the opportunity to clarify a number of strategic points for renewables;
• An article from Rádio Renascença with a reminder that there are municipalities placing undue obstacles to the installation of more renewable power;
• An opinion article for the ECO newspaper on the latest developments with regard to Green Hydrogen;
• An article for Jornal de Negócios on the impact of the Net-Zero Industry Act;
• This interview on RTP on the occasion of World Energy Day;
• This article for Expresso on the findings of the report on the future offshore wind auction;
• An opinion article published in Jornal de Negócios, on the very attractive LCOE of offshore wind – at the level of the old coal;
• The article from Jornal de Negócios with the reaction of APREN to the NECP proposal.

 

Because Portugal needs our Energy!