The Portuguese government has approved the Sectoral Programme for Renewable Energy Acceleration Areas, identifying areas across more than 170 municipalities in mainland Portugal to facilitate the deployment of solar PV and wind projects and speed up permitting procedures.
The Portuguese government has approved the Sectoral Programme for Renewable Energy Acceleration Areas (PSZAER), an initiative that establishes a so-called “Green Map” with more than 800 areas considered suitable for the development of solar photovoltaic and onshore wind projects.
The measure, approved by the Council of Ministers, covers areas located across more than 170 municipalities in mainland Portugal and aims to anticipate part of the territorial assessment required for the development of new renewable energy capacity.
Until now, the suitability of an area for renewable energy installations was primarily assessed during the evaluation of each individual project. Under the new programme, Portugal will identify in advance the areas with the most suitable conditions for these installations.
According to the government, the objective is to shorten permitting procedures, provide greater predictability for investors and accelerate the commissioning of new renewable electricity generation capacity.
The areas included in the Green Map were defined following a territorial analysis, a public consultation process and a strategic environmental assessment.
The selection took into account both renewable energy generation potential and compatibility with environmental, agricultural, landscape, heritage and land-use planning criteria. The process also considers factors such as proximity to and integration capacity of electricity grids.
However, the inclusion of an area in the Green Map does not automatically grant approval for projects developed within it.
Each installation will continue to be subject to the relevant assessment procedures, although projects located within the previously identified areas may benefit from faster permitting processes because part of the assessment of territorial suitability has already been carried out.
The PSZAER aims to combine the simplification of administrative procedures with the protection of environmental, landscape, heritage and territorial values.
In its Council of Ministers statement, the government said the programme is intended to contribute to the energy transition, energy security and energy independence, as well as to Portugal’s national decarbonisation and climate neutrality targets.
Minister of the Presidency António Leitão Amaro highlighted the need to increase domestic energy production when presenting the measure.
“Portugal effectively needs to have more domestic energy, more green energy, more energy produced here,” the minister said.
The government considers that greater predictability in permitting processes could also improve conditions for attracting investment in renewable energy generation and reducing the country’s dependence on imported energy.
The instrument was submitted to public consultation on 17 June 2026, involving citizens, municipalities, environmental organisations and project developers.
The Green Map is linked to the Renewable Energy Acceleration Areas established under European renewable energy legislation and forms part of measures included in Portugal’s Recovery and Resilience Plan (PRR).
During that phase, Minister for Environment and Energy Maria da Graça Carvalho explained that the instrument was designed to provide simpler rules and greater predictability, while strengthening the participation of local communities.
With the approval of the PSZAER, Portugal is moving from the identification and consultation phase to formally establishing the territorial framework through which it intends to accelerate the deployment of new solar PV and onshore wind projects.
Sé el primero en comentar…

source