Portugal

Overall assessment

There are various measures within the Portuguese REPowerEU chapter that could directly, or indirectly, benefit energy communities and tackle energy poverty.

  • Reform RP-C21-r43 foresees the creation of a National Energy Poverty Observatory through which national, regional and local authorities will monitor the situation of energy poverty, and provide funding and information to citizens who are afflicted by the phenomenon. The observatory will create policies and long term strategies, informed through multi-stakeholder dialogues.
  • Reform RP-C21-r44 foresees the development of energy efficiency one-stop shops for citizens (Citizens Energy Spaces). These will be set-up by local or regional authorities or other local entities, and will be used to inform citizens on available energy savings & efficiency measures, including the renovation of dwellings, as well as access to available financing tools.
  • Reform RP-C21-r45 foresees the creation of a Green Skills and Work Programme to provide training around key green transition competences to 12500 workers. In the draft National Energy and Climate Plan of Portugal measures around upskilling are clearly linked with renewable energy communities.
  • Reform RP-C21-r48: Simplification of the legal and regulatory framework applicable to renewable energy projects. This will include -inter alia- developing a manual of procedures to support and simplify the licensing procedure for self-consumption and renewable energy communities. It will also set in motion the legislation for developing a One-Stop-Shop for the Licensing and Monitoring of Renewable Energy Projects.
  • Investment RP-C21-i09: One-stop-shop for the licensing and monitoring of renewable energy projects. This digital OSS will contain a specific licensing module for self-consumption projects and renewable energy communities, and for storage in behind-the-meter systems. The platform shall present the requirements and deadlines related to licensing of renewable energy-related projects. The OSS will also gather statistics for renewable energy projects.

Additional reforms and investments are foreseen for sectors such as storage, flexibility (demand response), and offshore wind, areas where energy communities could theoretically claim ground.

No support is foreseen towards fossil fuel projects.