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Electricity

High-voltage electricity pylons crossing scrubland in Carvoeira, Torres Vedras, with wind turbines on the hills behind

Portugal Used More Electricity Than Ever From January to September, and Imported a Record Nine Terawatt-Hours From Spain

Consumption reached 40,486 GWh, up 3.4 percent, as September heat lifted demand and wind output fell by a third. Net imports of 9,075 GWh were a record for the period.

The Portugal Brief 01 Oct 2026

An aerial view of the Alto Lindoso reservoir in northern Portugal winding between forested hills, with pale drawdown lines marking the exposed shoreline above the water.

The North, Not the South, Is Where Portugal's Water Is Short This Year, and Three Basins Sit Below Their September Average

The Environment Agency's bulletin for 21 September puts national storage at 74 percent, but every basin is above its September average except the Lima, the Vouga and the Mondego. Less hydro means more gas, the minister said, and gas is very expensive.

The Portugal Brief 21 Sep 2026

Modest terraced housing on a corner of the Bairro Social do Arco do Cego in Lisbon, with the Rua Tomas Borba street plate fixed to the painted wall.

Getting the Social Energy Tariff in Portugal

Who qualifies for the discounted social tariff on electricity and gas in Portugal, and how it is applied.

The Portugal Brief 15 Sep 2026

An electricity transmission pylon carrying high-voltage lines across eucalyptus woodland at Rio Maior in central Portugal, under a clear sky.

The Regulated Electricity Tariff Rises 2.7 Percent on 1 October, Turning This Year's Promised 1 Percent Increase Into 1.7

ERSE has moved the energy component of the regulated tariff by half a cent a kilowatt hour, and says the reason is the war between Iran and the United States working through gas prices into electricity. It reaches 779,000 clients directly, and the free market buys in the same wholesale market.

The Portugal Brief 15 Sep 2026

The EDP combined-cycle gas power station at Lares, Figueira da Foz, with two red and white stacks above green turbine halls and the site sign at the gate.

Portugal's Greenhouse Gas Emissions Rose 1.6 Percent Last Year While the EU's Fell, and Gas-Fired Power Explains Most of the Gap

The Joint Research Centre's 2026 EDGAR release puts Portugal at 53.11 million tonnes of CO2 equivalent in 2025, up 820,000 tonnes. Power generation and industrial burning account for 72 percent of the rise. The EU total fell 0.2 percent over the same year.

The Portugal Brief 08 Sep 2026

High-voltage transmission pylons crossing hills near Carvoeira, Torres Vedras, with wind turbines on the ridge behind

Portugal's Wholesale Power Price Jumped a Third in the Second Quarter, and April's Record Oil Reaches Gas Bills About Six Months Later

ERSE's second-quarter commodities bulletin puts Portuguese wholesale electricity at €55.6 a megawatt hour, Brent at a record 145 dollars on 7 April, and the renewable share of consumption down from 77 to 69 percent.

The Portugal Brief 27 Aug 2026

Wind turbines on green rolling hills under a clouded sky, representing Portugal's electricity market and energy-consumer protection rules

Government Shields Vulnerable Households From Power Cuts and Forces Fixed-Price Contracts From Large Electricity Suppliers — New Decree Mandates Tailored Payment Plans and Carries the Social Tariff Across Supplier Switches

A new decree-law puts the law behind electricity consumers: cut-offs are barred during peak-demand periods and while a billing complaint is open, vulnerable households gain a right to payment plans, large suppliers must offer fixed-price deals, and the social tariff follows them on switching.

The Portugal Brief 22 Jun 2026

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