Top Portuguese company expands into alternative energy production of offshore generators

windfarmseaOne of Portugal’s leading renewable energy companies is expanding fast and aims to launch innovative wave power generators from the port of Aveiro as it expands in this emerging 'alternative energy' market.

Investment by ASM Energia in its Sever do Vouga plant will allow the company to increase production of wind turbine towers by 40% but already the manufacturer needs more space to cope with international demand for efficient wind based energy systems.

Portugal leads the world in wine consumption per head

winePortugal is the country with the highest per capita consumption of wine, with an average of 54 litres consumer per person per year.

In the remaining top places are France, Italy, Sweden, Switzerland, Belgium, Argentina, Germany - and Australia with a rather poor 27 litres per head, according to the annual report of the International Organisation of Vine and Wine.

GNR's Operation Easter shows why roadside checks remain necessary

gnrstopGNR personnel spent a busy Easter patrolling the nation’s highways and keeping sober drivers safe from the idiocy of others who still think it sensible to drive while talking on a mobile phone or when drunk, or both.

Between April 13th and 16th, GNR road patrols and wayside inspections on the country’s busiest highways has shown the motoring public to be as best, forgetful and at worst, deliberately risking their own lives and the lives of others.

Light aeroplane crashes into Lidl carpark - five confirmed dead

cascaisaircrashHaving taking off from Cascais aerodrome, a Swiss registered twin-engine aeroplane exploded and crashed into the carpark of a branch of Lid shortly after 11:00 on Easter Monday.

The four people onboard, three French and one Swiss, were killed as was the driver of an Algarve-based lorry which was hit in the supermarket loading area.

Algarve fills up for Easter

Algarve fills up for EasterThis slide below shows the ranking of the Algarve’s main tourism markets last year. The UK is still far in the lead with solid growth of 8.6% and Germany still in second place. The biggest growth of all the main markets is from France.

It may seem like an overstatement but the numbers don’t lie. Tourism is at an all-time high in the Algarve. Hotel bookings and revenue continue to break records year after year, there are more flights at Faro Airport than ever before and the sector is in an “excellent position” to keep growing in 2017. With another extremely busy Easter around the corner, the Resident met with the Algarve’s tourism boss Desidério Silva to discuss his plans to keep this trend going.

25-year-old wins coveted “Pastel de Nata” prize of the year

25-year-old wins coveted “Pastel de Nata” prize of the yearLisbon’s hotly-contested “best pastel de nata” award has been settled for this year and sees 25-year-old pastry chef Francisco Duarte walking off with all the glory.

Whipping up the traditional ‘egg custard tarts’ for pastelaria O Pãozinho das Marias, he beat off stiff competition and ensured that his bosses’ business in the seaside town of Ericeira is now brisker than ever. Even better, the prized “pasteis” cost just €1 each.

Photo: Facebook

Article by kind permission of Portugal Resident

Strike action threatens Easter flights in and out of Portugal

Strike action threatens Easter flights in and out of PortugalA specially-targeted five-day strike by airport security staff begins tomorrow at Portugal’s national airports, threatening passenger delays throughout the Easter period.

ANA airports authority recommends that people travelling between April 13 and 17 “check instructions transmitted by their airlines” and act accordingly.

537 people refused entry into Portugal - the majority from 3rd world countries

537 people refused entry into Portugal - the majority from 3rd world countriesNew data from Schengen space security (SIS) reveals that just this year 537 people have been barred from entering Portugal - the majority (443) of them from what Diário de Notícias describes as “third world countries” with criminal records and alerts in place over having already been expelled from Schengen states. The remaining 94 were people already wanted on European arrest warrants. Says DN, these were arrested and extradited.

As for the wider implications of SIS data, DN claims that there are 830,000 people within the free circulation space who for one reason or another are “sought by the authorities”.

Article by kind permission of Portugal Resident