Pulse

14 September 2026

Today Portugal negotiates with its own landscape: a solar plant shrinks after 12,000 objections, goats are proposed as firefighters, and a Madeiran trail closes for a footbridge. We end on straw roofs and a very clean beach.

Energy meets the neighbours

BP Lightsource scales back Sophia solar plant after local opposition

BP Lightsource has redesigned its Sophia solar power plant project, cutting the area and capacity of the installation, after facing negative environmental assessments and protests from local residents. The company says it listened closely to concerns raised by nearby communities and adjusted the plans accordingly. As part of the revision, the developer has abandoned a related project, the Beira solar plant. The move reflects growing friction in Portugal between renewable energy expansion and local acceptance, with developers increasingly forced to scale down proposals to secure environmental approval and public support.

Centro Energy, Water & Mobility Read more at Público ↗

Aveiro hosts fresh meeting of EU V2G project QUESTS

Aveiro recently hosted another meeting of the European project V2G-QUESTS, whose consortium includes Aradas parish council, the University of Aveiro, CIRA and PRIO. The project examines Vehicle-to-Grid technology, which lets electric vehicles both consume and return energy to the grid, through three case studies in Portugal, the Netherlands and Estonia. In Portugal, the University of Aveiro conducted its study in Aradas, involving local residents and other stakeholders. Aveiro's mayor and deputy mayor also attended, highlighting the municipality's interest in new mobility models aligned with its own policy goals.

Centro Energy, Water & Mobility Read more at Diário de Aveiro ↗

Land, fire and soil

Portugal seeks EU funds for goats to prevent wildfires

Portugal's agriculture minister, José Manuel Fernandes, wants the European Union's next long-term budget to include support for grazing goats as a wildfire-prevention tool. The idea is that goats can help clear scrubland and vegetation that fuels fires, reducing risk in rural areas. The proposal comes as Portugal continues to grapple with the recurring threat of large wildfires, a persistent challenge for its land management and rural economy.

Food & Agriculture Read more at Agroportal ↗

Quercus Aveiro to hold second anti-wildfire walk on 19th

Quercus Aveiro, together with the Movimento Florestas do Futuro and ADPLP, will hold a second protest walk against wildfires on the 19th in Valongo do Vouga, in the municipality of Águeda. The initiative aims to draw attention from residents and authorities to the need for more effective land management and rural fire prevention. Organisers say the walk is meant to go beyond protest, encouraging active citizen participation in transforming the territory and building safer communities. Their demands include better management of highly flammable pyrophyte monocultures and enforcement of existing fire prevention and safety measures for the population.

Centro Ecosystems & Biodiversity More on this story →

Opinion piece calls for soil health to anchor Portugal's climate adaptation

An environmental management specialist argues that Portugal's climate adaptation debate focuses too heavily on water while neglecting soil, which underpins water infiltration, biodiversity and carbon storage. The piece highlights the Algarve, citing urban practices such as lawns, aggressive tree pruning and felling of old trees, alongside rural practices like ploughing and synthetic fertiliser use, as accelerating soil degradation. It calls for monitoring systems to track organic matter, erosion, compaction and biodiversity, and for policy to prioritise soil resilience over short-term agricultural yield, linking this to EU funding rules requiring investments not to harm ecosystems.

Algarve Food & Agriculture Read more at Agroportal ↗

Portugal to cut wolf attack compensation deadlines to 20 days

The Portuguese environment and agriculture ministries have set a new maximum deadline of 20 days for assessing damages caused by wolf attacks on livestock, aiming to end delays in compensating affected farmers. The measure responds to complaints from herders about slow processing of claims after their flocks are attacked. Further details on how the new timeline will be implemented were not specified.

Ecosystems & Biodiversity Read more at Agroportal ↗

Decisions and investment

Loulé hands over 18 refurbished council homes to families

The Frederico Ulrich municipal housing estate in Loulé has completed the first phase of its refurbishment, with 18 families receiving keys to renovated two- and three-bedroom homes. The project, funded by Portugal's Recovery and Resilience Plan, enlarged and reorganised interior spaces and upgraded outdoor areas. A second phase will refurbish another 30 units, requiring temporary relocation of residents. Mayor Telmo Pinto said the council's housing stock has grown from 280 to over 490 homes since 2019, with more than 500 additional units planned and 600 more expected next year, alongside expanded rental support.

Algarve Construction & Housing Read more at Jornal do Algarve ↗

Viseu launches three water and sanitation works worth €215,000

Viseu's municipal water and sanitation services (SMAS) are starting three new projects across the council, investing more than €215,000 to expand water supply and sewage networks. The works will take place in Rio de Loba, São Cipriano e Vil de Souto, and Mundão, with completion times ranging from 60 to 240 days. Combined, the projects will add over one kilometre of new wastewater drainage pipes and reinforce water supply in two of the three areas. The council describes the investment as part of an ongoing strategy to modernise and expand essential public infrastructure.

Centro Energy, Water & Mobility Read more at Notícias de Coimbra ↗

Streets, trails and green spaces

Coimbra's Rua da Sofia found nearly deserted after traffic overhaul

On 10 September, Coimbra's Rua da Sofia underwent a traffic reorganisation restricting car circulation, widening pedestrian space and adding planters and street furniture to make the street more attractive and safer. On the first Sunday after the change, a local newspaper visited to see how the new setup was working. Despite the renewed, more pedestrian-friendly appearance, commercial activity was almost nonexistent: only two barbershops and one clothing shop were open, with all other businesses shut.

Centro Energy, Water & Mobility Read more at Notícias de Coimbra ↗

Madeira closes Areeiro-Pico Ruivo trail for six days for footbridge works

Madeira's Institute of Forests and Nature Conservation is temporarily closing the trail between Pico do Areeiro and Pico Ruivo on 14-17 and 21-22 September to install a footbridge in an intervened area. The closure affects only the stretch between Miradouro da Pedra Rija and Pico Ruivo; the section from Pico do Areeiro to the Pedra Rija viewpoint stays open for round trips. No bookings are available for the affected dates. Outside this period the popular trail continues operating one-way, from Areeiro to Pico Ruivo, under safety measures introduced after a rockfall, and prior registration via the SIMplifica portal remains compulsory.

Madeira Ecosystems & Biodiversity More on this story → View project: IFCN – Instituto das Florestas e Conservação da Natureza, IP-RAM →

Porto de Mós council buys old Fiandeira pitch in Mira de Aire

The municipality has acquired the former Campo da Fiandeira sports ground in Mira de Aire with plans to turn it into a green eco-park for leisure and recreation. Officials say the project will contribute to the urban and environmental improvement of the town. The purchase follows a lengthy process to secure the site, and the transformation into a park is now closer to going ahead.

Centro Ecosystems & Biodiversity Read more at Região de Leiria ↗

Santarém council runs air quality awareness event

The Santarém municipal council is marking International Clean Air for Blue Skies Day, observed on 13 September, with an environmental literacy campaign focused on air quality. The initiative takes place at 11:30 am at the Casa do Meio Ambiente. No further details of the programme's content were given.

Centro Community & Social Innovation Read more at The Portugal News ↗

Kept by hand

Madeira's traditional thatched-roof craft struggles to find young workers

At the Queimadas Forest Park in Madeira, António Caires has spent around 40 years practising colmatação, the traditional craft of replacing worn straw thatch on Santana's iconic houses with new colmo grown in local fields. A team of workers begins the labour-intensive task early in the morning, working through summer heat or winter rain to fit the new roofing. Caires explains the process but notes a lack of young people willing to take up the trade, raising concerns about the craft's continuity and the farmland needed to sustain it.

Madeira Food & Agriculture Read more at JM Madeira ↗

Cabanas de Tavira beach named among world's cleanest

Praia de Cabanas de Tavira, on an island within the Ria Formosa Natural Park in the Algarve, has been named one of the world's cleanest beaches in 2025 by property portal Idealista, citing its environmental quality and protected setting. The seven-kilometre beach holds the Blue Flag award again this year and is only reachable by a boat crossing of under five minutes from the village. Local conservation efforts, including anti-plastic campaigns and environmental education by municipal company Taviraverde, support its upkeep. Boat access and seasonal facilities such as bars and lifeguards operate only from April to October.

Algarve Ecosystems & Biodiversity More on this story → View project: ABAE – Associação Bandeira Azul da Europa →

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