Ministry of the Environment completes PRR targets

ANDm reported, the ministry of Maria da Graça Carvalho highlights that investments covered “51 targets in structuring areas of environmental and energy policy”, from energy efficiency and combating energy poverty to water management and resilience, bioeconomy and waste, renewable gases, energy storage, decarbonization of public transport and blue economy.

“ The targets for these areas have been fully met and, in various indicators, overcome, with investments and reforms that leave concrete results in the territory, in families, in public services and in the country's capacity to respond to climate and energy challenges ", stresses.

Cited in the statement, the Minister for Environment and Energy considers that “more important than executing financial resources is to ensure that they translate into results,” stressing that investments made “improve people’s lives, make the territory more resilient and accelerate the energy transition and improve the environment.”.

According to the ministry, in the area of energy efficiency and the fight against energy poverty, the PRR made it possible to execute around €556 million in housing, in the buildings of the Central Public Administration and in service buildings.

Over 85,000 houses were supported through the Support Program for More Sustainable Buildings and paid 20,000 Valleys Efficiency, in addition to 53,600 'vouchers' E-LAR. In public buildings and services, more than two million square meters were renovated.

In water management and water resilience, 106 million euros were implemented, concentrated in the Algarve's Regional Water Efficiency Plan.

“ In a region particularly exposed to drought and water scarcity, investments have reduced losses in urban and agricultural systems, increased the reuse of treated waste water and increased the capacity to transfer water between different areas of the Algarve,” the executive said.

In urban supply systems, 204 kilometres of nets were intervened, “above the minimum goal of 125 kilometres”, with a saving of 2.56 hm3 (cubic hectometers) of water.

Interventions were also carried out in four wastewater treatment plants, with joint capacity to provide 8 hm3 of water for reuse per year, and in collective hydro-agricultural uses covering 10,300 hectares.

The ministry points out that the water transfer capacity between Sotavento and Barlavento “has increased by 300 liters per second to a total of 600 liters per second, reinforcing the flexibility and resilience of the Algarve’s supply system.”.

With regard to the energy transition, the executive claims to have benefited from investments of around EUR 267 million in hydrogen and renewable gases and EUR 180 million for electricity network flexibility and energy storage, with 100% of the planned investments committed.

The PRR has also made progress with reforms aimed at simplifying and accelerating the deployment of renewable energies, including Renewable Energy Acceleration Areas, and with studies on 2,000 km2 (square kilometers) of area to assess the potential of offshore wind power.

Still emphasized is the impact of investments made to strengthen sustainable mobility, bioeconomics and the blue economy.

Thus, in the decarbonisation of public transport 952 buses of zero emissions, electric or hydrogen were reached, “overcoming the overall objective of 860 vehicles”.

In bioeconomy and waste management, the PRR has supported projects aimed at developing new products, technologies and processes in the textile and clothing, footwear and natural resin sectors, as well as investments in recycling and recovery of waste.

Structural reforms such as the new General Waste Management Scheme and the review of the National Strategy for Ecological Public Purchasing have also been implemented.

In the blue economy, the investment made possible the Blue Polos Network, with the construction of the “Smart Ocean” poles of Peniche, Leixões I and Algarve, the renovation of the Aveiro pole and the acquisition of equipment for different poles and entities linked to the sea economy.