February 2021 - Message from the President

I cannot go through February without leaving a note of regret for the complicated weeks that we all have been living. The pandemic evolved contrary to what we all had wanted, and the country was forced to lock down again, with all its negative implications associated. APREN leaves a word of encouragement and solidarity to the patients of COVID-19 and their families, and our condolences to the families of the victims. We also wish for all citizens to keep up the courage and resilience in the daily fight against this pandemic.

 

Despite all the restrictions, and with the necessary adaptations, the sector for renewable energy continues to state its position on the public agenda and to show that it is possible to, simultaneously, fight climate change and invest in the growth and development of the national economy, as I had the opportunity to mention in an opinion article for «O Observar» a few weeks ago.

 

On this subject, I highlight the event “Redesigning wind for the next era”, a joint venture between APREN and WIBIS (Wind Energy and Biodiversity Summit), a global cycle of conferences, where local and international experts discuss the most sustainable practices related to wind energy and biodiversity.

 

This event, which took place on the 27th and 28th of January and had the technical cooperation of INEGI, addressed the different vectors of development of the wind sector that best contribute to the national goals and targets of 2030, with the participation of several national and international experts. The debates were on the past and future challenges of wind energy, both in terms of environmental licensing, as well as the economic growth of the various links in the industry's value chain and sector stakeholders.

 

Due to the circumstances, this event was totally remote, with all its stakeholders speaking up their positions and perspectives about the wind sector from their homes, a means we are already getting used to and so necessary to mitigate any risk of contamination, promoting health security for all.

 

We talked about European, Iberian and National themes and all the links in the value chain of the wind sector, as well as the different ways to increase wind power in its fundamental contribution to the Energy Transition towards climate neutrality. We also addressed Iberian cooperation, with the objective of making the Iberian Peninsula an attractive hub for people and companies, with its incorporation of 75% of renewables in Electricity Production in 2030.

 

We also realized that the low electricity prices that are being reached in the Iberian Peninsula, resulting from the auctions of wind and solar photovoltaic energy, are setting the conditions for Portugal and Spain to become a power house for exporting electricity and green hydrogen, as well as attracting electro-intensive industries for investments in Portugal.

 

We recalled the possible need to set new power targets as to include the major change, resulting from the European emission reduction target for 2030 to having changed from 40% to 55%, and its impact on the National Energy and Climate Plans.

 

We talked about the contribution of the wind sector to the production of green hydrogen, and the need for hybrid projects to achieve adequate load factors in the annual use of electrolysers. We also addressed the different Iberian electricity markets and how electroproducers can position themselves more broadly and comprehensively, offering energy and system services.

 

We ended with the prospects for the wind sector in Portugal for the next 10 years with the vision of some of the main companies in the sector of renewable electricity generation.

 

Finally, we would like to thank all participants - the audience that attended the event, and the various moderators and speakers who participated over the course of days and offered us high quality interventions. Our special thanks also to the Assistant Secretary of State and Energy, João Galamba, and to the Minister for the Environment and Climate Action, João Pedro Matos Fernandes, whose interventions for the wind sector and the world of renewables in general, were of the utmost interest.

 

Last but not least, I emphasize once again the importance of this type of events for the sharing of knowledge and experiences. In fact, the path towards climate neutrality needn’t be a lonely one; we must, more than ever, promote the discussion and the debate amongst all players in the sector, regardless of their scope of action. Only then will we be able to meet the goals we have set ourselves to at European and national levels, and aim at building a sustainable but competitive economy.

 

Portugal needs our energy!