Portugal’s percentage of energy consumption from renewable sources is the eighth highest of the 28 countries in the European Union.
Data from Eurostat show that in 2015, the share of energy from renewable sources in the total consumption of energy reached 16.7% in the EU, roughly twice as much as in 2004 (8.5 %).
This is the first year that figures have been issued as Europe strives to reach its target of 20% renewables consumption by 2020.
Heading the renewables list is Sweden (53.9%), followed by Finland (39.3%), Latvia (37.6%), Austria (33%), Denmark (30.8%), Croatia (29%), Estonia (28.6%) and in eigth place, Portugal (28%).
The countries that have failed to address the problem by switching to renewable sources of energy are Luxembourg and Malta (5%), the Netherlands (5.8%) and Belgium (7.9%).
Each country has its own target within the EU’s ‘20% by 2020’ goal, with 11 countries already having reached the target five years early, but not Portugal which has been sidetracked by the mirage of an oil and gas business offering cheap fuel, making investment in renewables a shaky bet for as long as the government keep up its dirty war in covertly supporting oil and gas companies.
The fact is that even if Portugal tossed aside its tourism ambitions and its oil concession holders struck lucky, the population would not have access to cheap fuel as this condition is not listed in any of the one-sided contracts signed with international oil companies.
By the end of 2004, Portugal’s share of renewable energies in the overall energy mix was already 19.2% - a snail's pace increase over the 2015 figure of 28%, a full ten years later.
Overall, Europe's share of renewable energy consumption doubled which, had Portugal followed suit, would give a figure for Portugal of 38.4%, not the 28% achieved in a country blessed with water, wind and sun.
Last month, the Government announced that it is licensing a raft of new renewable energy projects with an installed capacity of 750 megawatts and a potential investment of over €800 million.
According to the Ministry of Economy, "along with 380 megawatts of solar plant licences, with no consumer subsidised tariffs and with guarantees already delivered by developers, the Government has approved 41 megawatts for three biomass plants."
The Secretary of State for Energy, Jorge Seguro Sanches, now needs to explain the taxpayer subsidy involved in the new Hyperion project in Lagos and then he can get on with pushing Portugal away from oil and gas, towards a renewable energy future, a job thus far that he has found taxing as the government is still bedazzled by the illusive riches promised by oil companies well-versed in the art of deception.
See also: 'Algarve solar plant to receive subsidies despite government ending this 'drain on taxpayers''