Repsol received the Digital Exploration Title for the two new industrial units of the Alba Project, at the Sines Industrial Complex, in an investment of approximately 820 million euros. The factories will have capacity to produce 600 thousand annual tons of polypropylene and linear polyethylene, mostly destined for export. The ceremony for the delivery of the license took place on September 2 and was attended by the Minister of Economy and Territorial Cohesion, Manuel Castro Almeida, the president of CCDR Alentejo, Ricardo Pinheiro, and the mayor of Sines, Álvaro Beijinha.
Ricardo Pinheiro stressed that the moment represents the culmination of more than six years of joint work between public and private institutions. The president of CCDR Alentejo argued that Alentejo currently takes a leading position in Europe in terms of polypropylene, contributing to European industrial competitiveness and sovereignty by reducing external dependencies.
The Alba Project should create around 100 direct jobs and 300 indirect ones, in addition to the approximately 1,300 workers who were mobilized during the construction phase. The investment also includes a 4 MW renewable hydrogen electrolyzer, photovoltaic capacity for self-consumption, and energy efficiency and decarbonization measures.
Recognized as a Project of Potential National Interest, Alba is considered one of the largest industrial investments in Portugal in the last decade. Minister Manuel Castro Almeida highlighted that the issuance of the title exemplifies the alignment between the energy transition and national reindustrialization objectives, strengthening Portuguese export capacity.
