Portugal: Environment Minister refuses to reactivate coal plants and postpone decarbonization amid global energy crisis
BHRRC Renewable Energy & Human Rights Benchmark Briefing
8 April 2022
[Translation provided by Business & Human Rights Resource Centre]
The Minister for the Environment and Climate Action...absolutely ruled out the possibility of Portugal reactivating coal plants and postponing decarbonization to respond to the current energy crisis, insisting on accelerating the bet on renewables...
The answer to the energy crisis, according to the executive member, has as its first objective “to negotiate mechanisms that allow us to disconnect the price of electricity from the price of natural gas”.
Second, according to Duarte Cordeiro, it is necessary to “accelerate, without reducing environmental controls, projects with renewable sources, namely from solar and wind energy, allowing to save water [energy] and achieving greater autonomy in relation to fossil fuels”.
“Third, it is necessary to create cushions to reduce the price with consumers, domestic and industrial. Fourth, we must strengthen the diversification of energy product suppliers, increase interconnections, avoiding the trap of dependence on Russia and betting on our sovereignty and progressive autonomy ”, he added.