Ten Algarve councils seek €28 million for waste management, with EU backing
Ten Algarve municipalities have applied under the regional Algarve 2030 programme to invest over €28 million in urban waste management, with about €17 million expected from EU funds. Alongside this, regional waste operator ALGAR is investing in sorting and treatment infrastructure, including composting and anaerobic digestion. More than €4 million has already been spent across projects in seven municipalities. The aim is more recycling, separate collection of bio-waste and less landfill. The regional development commission, CCDR Algarve, says the challenge now is to turn the funding into completed projects.
EU funds of €4.7m set aside to study and monitor Portugal's coastline
The Environment and Energy Ministry has announced €4.7 million in European funding, through the Sustentável 2030 programme, to prepare priority coastal protection works across mainland Portugal. The money will pay for studies, plans and projects, plus monitoring of how beaches, dunes, nearshore seabeds and cliffs are changing, and for identifying coastal and estuarine risks. Actions must fit the Litoral XXI Action Plan or its successor, so that works can follow in the medium term. The Cohesion Fund can cover up to 85% of costs, and applications to the Portuguese Environment Agency (APA) are expected between October 2026 and January 2027.
Portugal's water sector shifts focus from building networks to renewing ageing ones
Portugal's water operators and its regulator agree the priority has moved from building infrastructure to renewing and modernising what exists. Pipes are being replaced at only 0.5% a year in local networks and 0.2% in bulk systems, while about 190 million cubic metres a year are still lost. Climate change adds longer droughts and sudden heavy rain. The industry body APRH, regulator ERSAR, INDAQUA, EPAL and two local utilities call for better asset records, digital monitoring and sustained investment. National plans put needs above €10 billion.
Porto de Mós approves €10 million sewage and water network works tender
Porto de Mós council has unanimously approved a public tender for works worth around €10 million. They cover new sewage networks in Chão Pardo, Casais Garridos and Andaínho, along with upgrades to the water supply networks there, plus sewerage in the Pedreiras area, including Rua da Fonte and Rua do Casal da Luísa. Road paving will go to a separate tender. Mayor Jorge Vala says the works are essential for the municipality's sustainability and for meeting its environmental obligations. The council wants construction to begin in the first months of next year, though the Chão Pardo works must go to an international tender advertised in the EU's Official Journal, which will add delay.
Porto's waste company ties street cleaning to its 2030 carbon-neutrality goal
The head of Porto Ambiente, the city's municipal waste company, says street cleaning should be seen as a measure of urban sustainability rather than a back-office task. She says the company is moving beyond collection towards changing behaviour and bringing the circular economy into daily life. Porto Ambiente provides technical coordination for the city's route to carbon neutrality by 2030, working through the Porto Climate Contract with the municipality, municipal companies and partner bodies. Porto has already cut its emissions by 45% compared with 2004. Progress is to be tracked through separate collection, bio-waste recovery and the return of materials to the economy.
Alentejo waste firm tenders €629,000 solar plant with recycled-steel and storm-proofing requirements
AMBILITAL, the inter-municipal company that manages urban waste for seven municipalities in the Alentejo, has launched a public tender for a €629,000 solar power plant at its Ermidas-Sado site in Santiago do Cacém. The work has a three-year timeframe. At least 10% of the steel in the permanent structures must be recycled, and bidders can offer more. Mounting structures must withstand storms, strong winds and corrosive conditions, taking account of dust and birds linked to waste processing. Panels must be rated 595-605 W, exceed 23.4% efficiency and keep 87.4% of output after 30 years.
Car trade body calls 2027 budget a letdown, wants scrappage scheme and tax overhaul
Anecra, the association of Portugal's car trade and repair businesses, says the 2027 State Budget does too little for the sector. Its secretary-general, Roberto Gaspar, wants a serious scrappage and fleet-renewal programme, noting that over 1.8 million cars on the road are more than 20 years old. He called the last electric-vehicle incentive too small, covering about a thousand cars, and badly designed because it required scrapping a car over ten years old. He also seeks a structural reform of vehicle taxation, pointing to inconsistencies such as higher-capacity hybrids being taxed more than more polluting combustion cars, plus an update of the tax limits that apply to company cars.
Ourique takes over resurfaced stretch of EN264 in Santana da Serra
Ourique council and Infraestruturas de Portugal have agreed a deal that has allowed the resurfacing of a stretch of National Road 264 in Santana da Serra, between kilometres 0 and 1.398. The work is now complete. Mayor Marcelo Guerreiro says the agreement was no accident, and that the road, once paved, passes to municipal management. The link between this stretch and Almodôvar was repaired by the council ten years ago, but this section of the EN264 had been left untouched. Pleased with the model, the council now hopes for a similar arrangement covering the IC1, the Funcheira road and the road to the Monte da Rocha dam.
Coimbra region's FOOD CORRIDORS project reaches European Funds Awards final
FOOD CORRIDORS, a project led by the Coimbra Metropolitan Region, is among the finalists of the 2026 European Funds Awards, now in its second edition. It competes in the "Portugal + European Territorial Cooperation" category. The entry is in a public voting phase running throughout October. The project was carried out between September 2019 and March 2022 under the URBACT III programme.
