News

Our own articles and interviews, and our summaries of what the Portuguese press reported on sustainability. The Pulse is the daily edition; this is the lasting entrance — every story on its own page.

What was reported

Energy
Portugal's greenhouse gas emissions fall to lowest level on record as economy grows
Energy cut its emissions by nearly 15% in a single year, yet it no longer tops the table, and one sector got dirtier.
16 October 2026
Energy
Energy regulator proposes 1.5% electricity price rise for regulated-market households from January 2027
For a household using 1,900 kWh a year, the extra cost works out at barely 6.48 euros, yet it lands on top of October's rise.
16 October 2026
Energy
Alentejo water company tenders €5.9m pipeline works to supply São Teotónio area in Odemira
The works will take 630 days and tie a brand-new treatment plant into four existing local supply systems, from Zambujeira do Mar to Brejão.
16 October 2026Alentejo
Energy
Algarve mobility plan targets car dependence as insured vehicles rise 36% in nine years
The region added about 103,000 cars in nine years, and consultants name one policy decision that made driving even more attractive.
16 October 2026AlgarveAssociação ALMARGEM
Energy
Penela hosts music and energy-saving tips event on 23 October
A university-for-seniors tuna group opens the morning, and a consumer-rights body is on board to help households trim their bills.
15 October 2026Centro
Energy
Algarve regional chief sets out three priorities for water security before parliament
Beyond the desalination plant and new dams, the region's top official wants a seat for every sector at one regional table, and a slice of Brussels money ring-fenced.
15 October 2026Algarve
Energy
Portuguese battery-swap startup Pollen named one of TIME's best inventions of 2026
Founded only in 2024 by the man who launched Uber in Portugal, it has already racked up 25,000 swaps on Lisbon's streets.
15 October 2026Lisbon
Energy
Algarve water utility puts Guadiana intake and desalination plant at €305 million
Only one of the two projects is already being built, and the utility sees 2029 as the narrow window to get both running.
14 October 2026Algarve
Energy
Water sector conference to debate private investment and public procurement in Lisbon
One speaker says the cheapest bid in water contracts often ends up costing more, while another warns of an ageing network and shrinking investment.
13 October 2026LisbonSPV
Energy
Portugal's public EV charging network passes one million charging sessions in a single month
Users of the network almost doubled in a year, and the emissions saved are being measured in urban trees.
13 October 2026
Energy
Ourém wastewater plant on the Nabão gets €5.2m upgrade with EU cohesion funds
The upgrade targets a river repeatedly hit by pollution, and Brussels is footing most of the bill, with a finish line set for May 2029.
13 October 2026Centro
Energy
Évora University leads €9m project to trial green hydrogen in Alentejo and Algarve
A municipal swimming pool in Évora and a small island off the Algarve coast are among the unlikely test sites for the technology.
13 October 2026Alentejo
Energy
Environment agency tells MPs it has no oversight role at Ferreira do Alentejo olive-pomace plant
The country's water authority has told MPs that, strictly speaking, it licenses nothing at a plant accused of pollution for over a decade.
13 October 2026Alentejo
Energy
Porto de Mós approves €10 million sewage and water network works tender
Three villages are set to get sewage networks, but a European-level procurement step stands between the vote and the first digger.
12 October 2026Centro
Energy
ADENE to hold Portugal's first Certified Energy Manager course, with international exam
A qualification held by more than 40,000 professionals worldwide is finally coming to Portugal, just as a 2027 deadline starts to bite for big energy users.
12 October 2026LisbonADENE
Energy
Energy-saving measures could yield €8.5 billion a year in benefits for Portugal by 2030
The same savings that cut household energy costs could also prevent hundreds of premature deaths every year, according to the study's national estimates.
12 October 2026ZERO
Energy
Irrigation body demands funding and deadlines as minister reopens water-efficiency grants
Seven in ten water meters in a new national barometer sat at or below the reference level, yet the sector says the pipes and reservoirs still fall short.
11 October 2026AlentejoGEOTA
Energy
Águas de Portugal group to price shared renewable energy in real time using AI
When surplus power would otherwise be sold to the grid cheaply, the internal price drops to nudge companies into using it first.
9 October 2026
Energy
Aveiro-Águeda road link tender extended to 16 November as several consortia show interest
A €109 million tender is drawing more bidders than expected, yet the government's newly tabled budget leaves the road without a single euro for next year.
9 October 2026Centro
Energy
ZERO says 2027 state budget fails to treat environment as a strategic priority
Almost half of the money earmarked for climate adaptation goes to repairing damage from a single storm, Kristin, rather than preparing for the next one.
9 October 2026ZERO
Energy
Portugal sets 49% renewable energy target for 2030 and approves air pollution programme
Fines on shipping will be recycled into port infrastructure, while buildings are expected to run on far more renewable energy than transport.
9 October 2026
Energy
Government budgets €434 million from energy sector levy in 2027
A levy meant to be temporary in 2014 is now expected to bring in far more than this year, despite years of legal challenges.
8 October 2026
Energy
State Budget 2027 trims environment and energy spending as recovery funds wind down
Strip out one source of funding and the same budget line swings from a cut to a rise of more than 15%.
8 October 2026
Energy
WWF flags progress in Portugal but warns of climate losses of €17.7bn
Returning lynx and recovering tuna stocks tell one story, but Portugal's weather bill tells another.
8 October 2026
Energy
ADENE joins three new EU energy and sustainability projects
One of the three new initiatives will test a low-temperature heating network in a single Portuguese municipality.
7 October 2026NorteADENE
Energy
Iberdrola bp pulse opens 16-point fast charging hub in Braga
A Braga shopping centre now hosts a charging station powerful enough to serve 16 electric cars at once.
7 October 2026Norte
Energy
Offshore site near Figueira da Foz could store 93 million tonnes of CO₂
A rock formation off the Portuguese coast could one day hold nearly a century's worth of national emissions.
7 October 2026Centro
Energy
Faial pilots EU project to restore brackish water supply
A salinised borehole in Castelo Branco parish is getting an unusual fix involving rainwater and 30 visiting specialists.
7 October 2026Azores
Energy
Ponte de Lima launches €15m tenders for treatment plant and sewers
Bids close this month for two linked works spanning six parishes in northern Portugal.
7 October 2026Norte
Energy
Alto Alentejo water utility targets 9.6 million m³ in savings
A pioneering scheme in Portugal will turn leaky pipes into tradeable water credits worth 0.78 euros per cubic metre.
7 October 2026Alentejo