Developer given until October to revise Sophia solar project

Lightsource bp, the British multinational behind the 867 MWp Sophia solar plant, has until 2 October 2026 to submit a revised project to Portugal's Environmental Impact Assessment authority, APA. The reformulation follows a February finding of "very significant negative impacts" on landscape, land use, spatial planning and socioeconomics in the municipalities of Fundão, Idanha-a-Nova and Penamacor. The roughly €590 million project would occupy 390 hectares with panels and a total fenced area of 1,734 hectares. The AIA process is suspended until the new documents arrive, after which a fresh ten-day public consultation and assessment will follow before a final decision.