Portugal’s Promising Plans to Reduce National Dependence on Imported Gas

by Vivaan Pathak Manager

Portugal is on the way to becoming self-reliant in terms of clean energy. Through a novel programme in Mirandela, Braganca, the landfill waste has been converted to biomethane and has entered the country’s natural gas network.

Minister of environment and climate action, Mr. Duarte Cordeiro was also present at the Cachão facility, in the Environmental Park, to witness the inaugural distribution of biomethane into the natural gas network. The Nordeste Transmontano landfill site is located near Cachão autonomous gasification unit.

According to the minister, it is significant that the event occurred in the region because it is a sign that there is an enormous capacity for innovation and regional cooperation, allowing for such an amazing moment to occur in the region. The Portugal government plans to incentivize towns to develop similar projects through subsidies. Incentives will be offered to municipalities to replicate such projects. In the 1980s when rubbish was not considered as a potential energy source Mirandela created a common landfill site, which now serves 13 municipalities, and converted it into an Environmental Park over a decade ago. The sorting facility separates waste and is producing biogas for years.

The chairman of Resíduos do Nordeste, Hernâni Dias, said that the company saved €2 million in the past by employing the upgraded biogas from the site into the Dourogás gas network. The plan is to test the biogas upgradation equipment and see if it can meet the 100% renewable gas target by the end of the year. Biogas companies in India and Biogas upgradation providers are excited to see this step of the Portugal government, which is believed to make the country self-sufficient.

Feel free to contact us if you want to know more about Biogas upgrading and how to incentivize the usage of this renewable source of energy.