Portugal shrinks renewable energy 'Green Map' from 7% to 4%

The government has cut nearly in half the share of national territory earmarked for fast-tracked wind and solar projects, from 7% to about 4%, EMER president Manuel Nina told Expresso. Municipalities will only need to designate 1% of new land as acceleration zones (ZAER), with flexibility to swap sites and two years to update local master plans. The reduction follows a public consultation in which 94% of nearly 8,500 submissions opposed the plan, and reflects exclusion of protected areas identified with the ICNF and APA. The number of designated locations fell from over 1,300 to about 800.