Portugal’s Prime Minister António Costa has confirmed that his government has raised the country’s target for offshore wind capacity for the second time in a matter of months
In June, the country’s Secretary of Energy João Galamba said the government planned to launch its first auction for offshore wind in 2023, targeting a minimum capacity of 6 GW to 8 GW. This was a significant increase from an earlier target of 3-4 GW by 2026.
However, speaking at the High-Level Panel on a Sustainable Blue Economy in New York 21 September 2022, Prime Minister Costa said his government was now planning to reach a capacity of 10 GW by 2030.
The Prime Minister’s statement came after Environment Minister Duarte Cordeiro told a parliamentary committee that the Costa administration “wanted to move faster” on offshore wind and was already working on a first auction, which will take place in 2023. He also confirmed that the government was now targeting 10 GW by 2030.
Addressing the high-level panel, Prime Minister Costa said, “Portugal is strongly committed to putting the blue economy at the heart of its development strategy and will increase investment in research into new technological solutions that contribute to combating climate change.”
In a recent report on the potential for offshore wind in Portugal, leading analyst Aegir Insights said, “Portugal needs floating wind technology and, if the government acts, there is a real economic opportunity for Portugal to establish a floating wind supply hub in the Iberian peninsula… expand the country’s existing wind manufacturing industry and take advantage of large ports and shipyards in the area.”
Riviera Maritime Media has a comprehensive conference programme for the rest of 2022 and will provide free technical and operational webinars in 2023.
