According to the environmental association Zero, from 14 March to 11 May, no coal was used in Portugal to produce electricity and the two thermal power plants in Sines and Pego did not work, “leading to an unprecedented reduction in greenhouse gas emissions in Portugal”.
Data from the National Energy Networks (REN) for March, April and May, compared to the same period of 2019, allowed the environmental organisation to calculate a reduction in emissions of more than 1.4 million tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO2): 370,000 tonnes in March, 590,00 tonnes in April and 475,000 tonnes in May.


According to Zero’s accounts, the average daily CO2 emissions associated with electricity production decreased from 28,000 tonnes / day between March and May 2019 to 12,000 tonnes / day in the same period this year.


The association also points out that, in the last three months, there was an increase of 15 percent in renewable sources in electricity production, compared to the same period in 2019, from 60 percent to 75 percent.


The Covid-19 pandemic has some influence on the results given the greater supply of electricity in nearby countries, mainly Spain, due to the drop in consumption, supplied at lower prices, leading to higher import volumes.


For Zero, the already announced end of coal plants - Pego in 2021 and Sines in 2023 - is in practice taking place, remembering that the two infrastructures “are responsible for a very significant amount of carbon emissions”.


“The current stops at the Pego and Sines power stations show that it is possible to remove them from the system without jeopardising the security of electricity supply in the country”, states the note.


However, for the environmental association, “it is essential to carry out the two investments proposed by REN, namely in the construction of lines for the South region, which are already provided for in the Development and Investment Plan of the National Transport Network”.