This decision follows an environmental impact assessment which identified significant concerns linked to the project, particularly its effects on ecological systems and land use.

Environmental impact

Coordinated by the Portuguese Environment Agency (APA), the assessment commission rejected the proposed photovoltaic plant in December 2025 and subsequently asked Lightsource bp whether it intended to modify the plant under the national environmental impact assessment legislation.

However, the company has now confirmed that it will not pursue a redesigned proposal.

“Following the environmental assessment process for the Beira project, several changes were identified that would need to be considered in any potential redesign, including elements resulting from the assessment commission’s opinion”, Lighthouse bp stated.

According to the British renewable energy company, an analysis of what those changes would mean for the project’s configuration found that the conditions required to make a revised version financially viable were no longer in place.

Initial plans

The Beira project was originally planned to include 425,600 photovoltaic panels with a combined capacity of 266 megawatts (MW), covering around 524 hectares across several areas of Castelo Branco and Idanha-a-Nova.

In Castelo Branco, the proposed development would have affected Monforte da Beira, Malpica do Tejo, Benquerenças, the Union of the Parishes of Escalos de Baixo and Mata.

Meanwhile, the Idanha-a-Nova project included land in Ladoeiro and the Union of the Parishes of Idanha-a-Nova and Alcafozes.

The APA’s assessment concluded that, as submitted, the Beira photovoltaic project could not be considered viable because of its expected environmental impacts.

Therefore, the agency opened the possibility of changes to the proposal, but Lightsource bp has not opted to withdraw rather than pursuing a new configuration.