A dry autumn is lowering reservoir levels, while housing pressure remains acute in Lisbon and Porto. This week’s responses focus on using existing resources better: finding leaks in Algarve water networks, sharing locally generated power and renovating social homes. Yet plans for new infrastructure and housing still bring difficult questions about land, wildlife, location and public consent.
With reservoirs affected by a dry autumn, responses are moving towards tighter management and adaptation. Algarve networks will use data to find losses, while Palmela, Setúbal and Sesimbra will bring nature-based water measures and resident input into planning.
A dry start to autumn is affecting water levels in Portugal's reservoirs. Temperatures are set to begin falling from tomorrow, but rain is not expected to reach mainland Portugal for about another week.
A €9 million project to modernise water supply networks across the Algarve has been approved. It is led by the regional municipal association AMAL, which brings together the 16 municipalities, along with the entities that manage public water supply. Around €6 million comes from EU regional development funds through the ALGARVE 2030 programme. Intelligent equipment and telemetry platforms will gather and process data on flows and consumption, helping operators spot leaks and abnormal use sooner, cut manual procedures and draw up more accurate water balances. The aim is to reduce losses and waste and improve service, at a time when cutting treated water lost before it reaches consumers is a priority alongside finding new supply sources.
Palmela, Setúbal and Sesimbra, together with the Arrábida energy and environment agency ENA, have joined the new phase of the European URWAN project, which shares nature-based solutions for urban water management across Mediterranean towns. Municipal technicians will adapt measures from a catalogue of 20 solutions, train through the URWAN School and use a free toolkit, while residents help design new green public spaces. The phase began in summer 2026 and its results are expected by the end of 2027. The aim is to protect the area from heatwaves, droughts and urban flooding.
Portugal is expanding access to shared renewable energy and preparing targeted support for electric cars. Yet the proposed Chaves wind farm shows why capacity cannot be judged by megawatts alone, particularly when common land, public consultation and nearby Iberian wolves are involved.
The number of collective self-consumption projects and renewable energy communities running in Portugal rose from 879 in January to 2,127 by September 2026, according to the Environment and Energy Ministry. Together they hold 124.1 MW of installed capacity. Individual self-consumption also grew, with over 282,000 certified installations and about 2.78 GW in early October. The ministry credits Decree-Law 130/2026, which cuts grid-operator consultations, relaxes proximity rules and eases entry and exit of participants. Public-sector projects must aim to make at least 10% of shared energy available to vulnerable consumers, and eligible schemes get a seven-year exemption from certain electricity-bill charges.
The Government will fund 70% to 90% of the price of an electric car for vulnerable households, capped at €15,000, with a further €1,000 if an old vehicle is scrapped. Environment Minister Maria da Graça Carvalho announced it as part of the 2027 State Budget. The scheme, due to start in early 2027, covers new or under-five-year-old used cars costing up to €37,500, bought from a dealer and not resold for three years. Backed by €104.5 million from the Social Climate Plan, it should help around 5,500 buyers, and some 1.5 million households would qualify.
A proposed wind farm of 20 turbines is open to public consultation until 25 November in the municipality of Chaves, Vila Real district. Developer AER SOLÉIR Investments Portugal plans 140 MW across 668 hectares of four common lands, with seven-megawatt turbines expected to generate 231 GWh a year. The consultation covers only the scoping stage of the environmental impact assessment, which sets what the later study must examine. Monitoring since May has found at least one adult pair of Iberian wolves and two cubs nearby. Construction would take about 17 months, and the park would operate for 35 to 40 years.
Vacant homes offer only a partial answer because condition and location matter. Renovation in Vila Real de Santo António shows what direct investment can deliver, while the force used against Lisbon and Porto protest camps has intensified concern over housing and the right to protest.
For the second week running, police moved against housing protesters in Lisbon and Porto in the early hours. In Lisbon, after three warnings about roughly 70 tents in Rossio, riot officers with shields and dogs advanced on demonstrators who had formed human chains. Firecrackers were thrown, and there are reports of truncheon blows, a journalist among those struck, and warning shots fired. Almost a dozen people were arrested and dozens were injured. Opposition MPs standing at the front of the Lisbon protest were removed. Ombudsman's Office staff monitored events. The protests, a month old, now also concern the right to protest itself, and organisers promise new gatherings every day.
The 2021 Census counted 723,000 vacant homes in Portugal, 12% of the housing stock. Of these, 348,000 were already for sale or rent and 127,000 needed medium or major repairs. That leaves 249,000 homes, 4% of the stock, in good condition but off the market. Many vacant properties are in the interior, where demand is weak, while pressure is concentrated in the Lisbon and Porto metropolitan areas. Some are only temporarily empty. The analysis concludes that mobilising existing homes can ease the shortage but is unlikely to be enough, and calls for more building where demand is highest.
Of the 372 social homes covered by Vila Real de Santo António's housing requalification programme, 320 have been renovated and returned to their families, about 86% of the work. The remaining 52 are in the final stage of construction. The €50.3 million project, financed by Portugal's recovery plan (PRR) and the 1.º Direito housing programme, covers all social housing neighbourhoods across the municipality's three parishes plus scattered homes. Works include structural repairs, better thermal and acoustic insulation, waterproofed roofs and new water, electricity, telecoms and sewage networks, with a minimum 10% improvement in thermal performance. The council calls it the largest such operation it has carried out.
The map keeps filling in. This week we added 4 projects and 116 events. Sustainable Living now connects 488 projects, 216 upcoming events and 999 people across Portugal.
TAGIS is a Portuguese non-profit organisation dedicated to the conservation of butterflies and other insects, biodiversity research and envi…
Florestas de Iroko is an Alentejo-based company that designs, plants and manages productive agroforestry polycultures on clients' land, hand…
Terras de Sal CRL is a cooperative of producers of Traditional Sea Salt and Flor de Sal in Castro Marim, Algarve, harvested by hand in centu…
Tree planting event run by the Plantar Lousada project, with registration open, in Cristelos. The project aims to reach 250,000 trees planted by 2030.
A conference by CCDR Algarve, in partnership with the municipality of Loulé, on urban and non-urban waste management and the circular economy, featuring panels of experts and public and private bodies. Advance registration required.
The Environment Department is holding a Sustainable Cooking Workshop on 10 November. The event will take place at Casa da Azenha, from 10:00 to 13:00, and will be led by Marta Cortez. Open to the general public, it aims to encourage healthy, eco-friendly lifestyles. During the session, participants will learn how to make the most of seasonal and local produce, preserve food and apply zero-waste techniques. Practical recipes will also be shared for…
Quercus Portalegre is organising a guided walk between Castelo de Vide and Marvão, in the Parque Natural da Serra de São Mamede, to showcase the landscape, biodiversity and heritage of the mountain range. Registration is open until 12 November, with 20 places available.
Casa para Viver demonstration in Lisbon, at Alameda, against the changes to the rental law and in favour of access to decent housing. The page gives only the time, 3 pm, with no date.
New projects, openings and stories — a short letter, only when there's something worth sharing.
