OFFSHORE RENEWABLE ENERGY PORTUGAL INSIGHT DEVELOPMENTS
The Portuguese Government has recently approved the Allocation Plan for Offshore Wind Energy (Council of Ministers Resolution 19/2025, of February 7) and the model of the competitive procedure (Order 4752/2025 of April 21).
The key points of the Portuguese strategy regarding the Allocation Plan (Council of Ministers Resolution 19/2025, of February 7), are:
- Reach a total of 9.4 GW of installed capacity for commercial projects;
- Promote the installation of 2 GW of renewable energy capacity until 2030, through capacity auctions;
- Establish four maritime areas marked in red on the map (located of the coast of Viana do Castelo; Leixões; Figueira da Foz and Sines), for the installation and operation of the offshore wind energy production units;
- Establish a maritime zone in the north of Portugal for demonstration and research of projects.
Following the approval of the Allocation Plan, the Portuguese Government has published the Order 4752/2025 of April 21, determining the model of the competitive procedure for the development of offshore wind energy production and establishing a working group to support the government in the operationalization and implementation of the competitive procedure.
The order establishes a centralised sequential model for the competitive procedure, with two main stages: a prior competitive procedure for the allocation of exclusive rights to use maritime space, followed by a second procedure for the allocation of grid injection, which may include the definition of remuneration mechanisms
Within 60 days from the date of publication of the order, the working group must submit to the government a proposal for the implementation of the first competitive procedure, including the following aspects (namely):
- Confirmation and scheduling of the stages of the first sequential competitive procedure;
- Propose the plots of the maritime zones to be included in the first tender, taking as a reference the areas that were identified in the Allocation Plan;
- Review of the legal framework, including proposals of amendments if necessary to launch the procedures;
- Establish and propose the prequalification phase for competitors, including the criteria to be considered.
Within 180 days from the date of publication of the order, the working group must submit a draft of the tender documentation for government approval.
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