EU Energy Commissioner Kadri Simson praised Portugal’s work on ‘offshore’ renewable energy and ‘green’ hydrogen in Matosinhos Thursday, commending Portugal’s high renewable target and joint electrification plans with Spain.
The Commissioner spoke at the Great Summit of the Sustainability and Society Forum at the Matosinhos city hall in the district of Porto, which ends Friday.
“The current and planned work in Portugal in ‘offshore’ [renewable energies at sea, such as wind or wave energy] is remarkable, and the increase in interest from investors is promising,” Kadri Simson said Thursday.
According to the Estonian Commissioner, Brussels “is working closely with member states to lead in offshore renewables” and wants to reach 111 gigawatts (GW) throughout the European Union in 2030 – a figure that reaches 317 in 2050, which “will double the initial goal for the end of this decade”.
Simson also addressed the issue of strengthening electricity networks between Portugal and Spain, classifying it as a “challenge” but recalling that this investment is a project of common interest with “great potential”.
“We are committed to further developing cross-border connections and keeping high-priority projects running,” she added, stressing that this will “ensure that the market works well and that the Iberian Peninsula is better integrated into the European energy market”.
As for renewable hydrogen, the European commissioner said it is “another area where Portugal is ahead in Europe”, referring to the Port of Sines, which “has the potential to supply western Europe” and “aligns well with the Commission’s plan to make Europe the first region with a full ecosystem to develop and commercialise renewable hydrogen”.
“We want to produce ten million tonnes of renewable hydrogen in 2030 and import another ten million tonnes from third countries,” said the Estonian official.
In the final part of her speech, Simson assured that the EU “is emerging from the energy crisis with cautious optimism”.
“We are on the right track, but certainly, uncertainties remain. Russia is unpredictable. We could have a very dry summer and a very hard, cold winter ahead of us, and China is re-emerging on the global market as a major energy importer after lifting its COVID-19 restrictions,” the commissioner listed.
The EU cannot “be complacent”, she said, praising Portugal’s goal of having 80% of its energy produced through renewable sources by 2026 as “particularly recommendable”.
(Jorge Eusébio; edited by Cristina Cardoso – Lusa.pt)
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