Maria da Graça Carvalho, speaking at a hearing in the Environment Committee of the Assembly of the Republic, said that the technical solution will complement the use of groundwater and added that the Portuguese Environment Agency (APA) and the ÁdP Group (Águas de Portugal) have been tasked, by published order, with presenting a project within 120 days.

In a speech before the deputies, the Minister reviewed what has been done in the various areas of the Ministry of Environment and Energy, said that the Roadmap for the Decarbonization of Aviation (Ronda) will be presented, and, in a document she presented, she said that Portugal will participate in the next climate summit, COP31 (in Turauia), with a national flag.

The Minister also said the Social Climate Plan mobilises €1.6 billion until 2032 and prioritises energy efficiency in housing and sustainable mobility.

Energy transition

The Government states that the energy transition includes creating the Renewable Energy Acceptance Plan, increasing municipalities' participation in the benefits of renewable energy, and approving (and first auctioning) the Energy Storage Strategy.

The low-voltage concession model will also be defined by the end of the year, the national geological resources strategy will be launched, and the program to support the energy resilience of critical infrastructures will be implemented.

Intervention in large parks

In addition to rehabilitating several coastal fronts, the Minister highlighted the launch of a call for proposals for restoration interventions in all large parks (Peneda-Gerês will be the first) and a project to restore the montado (cork oak woodland) in the Alentejo region.

In nature conservation, Maria da Graça Carvalho also highlighted the official creation of the Dom Carlos marine reserve, a new cycle of action in the conservation of the Iberian lynx and the Program for the Recovery of Steppe Birds, as well as new pilot projects for the restoration of urban ecosystems (Celorico da Beira, Batalha and Mangualde).

The Minister also said that the 61 management plans for special conservation zones (SACs) are almost ready, with only three remaining. On ​​waste, she said the APA will launch a tender next month to assess a location in the Algarve for a waste recovery unit.

The government also approved, by decree, an action plan on 8 September for the invasive algae Rugulopteryx okamurae, she said.