The Government postponed by a few weeks the auction for the attribution of 1,050 megavolt-ampere of grid connection capacity to projects with storage, whose launch was scheduled for this Monday. The Minister of Environment and Energy, Maria da Graça Carvalho, explained that the postponement is due to the need to analyze 62 contributions received during the public consultation, each with several contributions. The government official estimated a deadline of three to four weeks for the publication of the procedure.
The process covers two tenders, one for the attribution of 750 MVA to autonomous storage facilities and another for 300 MVA of capacity destined for renewable power plants associated with storage. The procedures were presented by the Government at the end of June and were under public consultation.
During a visit to Abrantes, Maria da Graça Carvalho also announced that part of the available capacity at Pego will be attributed to the Technological Free Zone, created within the scope of the just transition process after the closure, in 2021, of the coal-fired power plant. Endesa won the just transition tender in 2022 and plans to begin in 2027 the construction of a project with approximately 600 megawatts of hybrid renewable capacity, combining wind, solar and storage energy, in an estimated investment of 600 million euros.
The mayor of Abrantes, Manuel Jorge Valamatos, considered that the remaining capacity of the injection point has an incredible attraction potential for energy producers and consumers. The minister warned of the need to accelerate investments to take advantage of the technical and industrial knowledge accumulated in the region, before the former workers of the plant retire or seek employment in other territories.
