Message from the President - September 2021

Dear APREN Members,

I begin with the necessary note of regret for the sudden and unexpected loss of Ms. Maria Cristina Portugal, Chairman of the Board of Directors of ERSE. On behalf of APREN, I send my heartfelt condolences to everyone on whom she left her mark, in particular to the family and close team, congratulating her undeniable contribution to the Electricity sector.

In a traditional month of new beginnings, APREN returned in force with the presentation of the study on “The Impact of Electricity from Renewable Sources”, an analysis by Deloitte consultant for the Portuguese Association of Renewable Energies (APREN).It was publicly presented on the 7^th September, at an event that counted with the participation of the Assistant Secretary of State and for Energy, João Galamba.

The conclusions of the study are illustrative of the great impact that our sector has in various aspects of the Portuguese reality, with a special focus on electricity bills and the economy. The event had a great and due impact on the media, with more 100 references in Portuguese newspapers, magazines, radio and television.

Although all our Members have already had access to the complete study, we recall here the main conclusions:

• The contribution of electricity generation companies from Renewable Energy Sources (RES) to the Portuguese GDP was about 18.5 billion euros between 2016–2020 (about 3.7 billion euros euros per year);
• In 2030, the projection indicates an annual contribution to GDP of 12.8 billion euros;
• Savings for the electricity consumer accumulated from 2016 to 2020 amount to about 6.1 billion euros;
• On average, RES generate annual savings on the electricity bill of up to 50 euros for a domestic consumer and up to 4,500 euros for a non-domestic consumer;
• Proportionally, and with regard to the social and fiscal contribution, it is expected that:
  • The annual contribution to social security will reach 1.6 billion euros in 2030, with the possibility of an increase of up to 842 million euros if there is a commitment to Green Hydrogen and an increase in climate ambition, totaling an annual contribution of 2 .45 billion;
  • The contribution to the IRS between 2020 and 2030 is around 10 billion euros;
  • About 1.9 billion euros in annual net VAT contribution in 2030 (four times higher than 2020).
• Between 2020 and 2030, is expected a private investment of around 15 billion euros in power plants from RES.

Over the next few years, we will continue to convey these positive messages in all necessary ways.
We appeal our Members to also send this message to those you find it useful to.

With the so-called return, APREN's annual conference, the “Portugal Renewable Energy Summit”, is approaching. The conference is already a classic of the renewable panorama in Portugal. In this event, which will mark APREN's return to conferences with physical presence, maintaining the streaming broadcast with the quality of last year. We already have more confirmed speakers posted in our site, as well as the updated programm. The members who want to support this initiative can also find out about the various forms of sponsorship we have prepared. APREN is available to clarify any doubts you may have.

We will continue to provide news about our actions to promote Renewable Energy,