Iberdrola has obtained the final environmental approval from the Portuguese government to build a 274MW wind farm in the country.
The project in Vila Real and Braga will create the largest “hybrid” clean energy scheme in the country, it added.
The wind farm will utilise the same grid connection as the Tâmega pumped storage hydro complex, ensuring that more green megawatts can be produced for home and businesses in Portugal, by maximising the capacity of the connection point.
Specifically, the company has obtained the second and final favourable environmental permit for the “Tâmega Eólico” project.
This is the so-called DCAPE (‘Decisão da conformidade ambiental do projeto de execução’ – Decision of Environmental Conformity of the Execution Project).
This step involves the approval by the Portuguese Environment entity, APA (Agência Portuguesa do Ambiente) of the construction of the project, complying with all the conditions and measures included in the favourable Environmental Impact Statement that Iberdrola received in March 2023.
The next step will be to apply for the production licence to the Portuguese Directorate General of Energy and Geology.
Iberdrola’s goal is to obtain all the permits and start work in early 2025.
Hybrid generation plants use the same connection point to the grid and share infrastructure, such as the substation.
An extension will be built to the substation, which was already designed for the initial project.
In addition, both projects are located on land that was already designated for renewable generation and allows for common roads and facilities for the operation of both technologies.
This reduces environmental impacts in project development.
Iberdrola will implement a range of measures to support ecosystems in the wind farm location.
Measures to support fauna will also continue, such as grass plantations, plantations of species with fleshy fruits, execution and recovery of ponds or installation of nest boxes for bats.
In addition to the biological and archaeological support during construction, a series of Ecological Systems Monitoring Programs (avifauna, bats, wolves, flora and habitats) will be implemented.
The Tâmega hydropower project is made up of three plants: the Alto Tâmega Hydroelectric Power Plant, with an installed capacity of 160MW, the Gouvães Pumped Storage Plant (880MW) and the Daivões Power Plant (118MW), the latter two in operation since 2022.