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Satellite view of the Alqueva reservoir in the Alentejo, with an inset showing EDP's existing floating solar array

EDP Abandons Its Giant Floating Solar Project on the Alqueva Reservoir

EDP has scrapped the 154 MW 'Great Lake Hybrid Plant' once billed as the world's largest floating solar facility, citing weaker economics since its 2022 award and the environment agency's rejection of the wind connection over vulture habitats. A smaller Alqueva pilot remains.

The Portugal Brief 07 Aug 2026

New Volkswagen cars lined up for export beside a Grimaldi Lines car carrier at a Portuguese port

Portugal's Car Output Slips to a Four-Year Low as Autoeuropa Pauses for Its EV Overhaul

National vehicle production fell about 1% to roughly 176,000 units in the first half — the weakest H1 since 2022 — after Autoeuropa's June output dropped around 25%. The Palmela plant is halting lines for a €300 million retooling for electric vehicles; nearly all output is exported.

The Portugal Brief 07 Aug 2026

The headquarters of Portugal's Polícia Judiciária (Judicial Police) in Lisbon

Portugal's Interior Minister Heads to a Court of Auditors Trial Over His Judicial Police Years

Luís Neves, Minister of Internal Administration and former National Director of the Judicial Police, will stand trial at the Court of Auditors after contesting findings on the PJ's 2023 accounts — as a contractor-friend's renovations at ministers' homes turn an audit into a political storm.

The Portugal Brief 07 Aug 2026

An unmarried couple walking hand in hand along a tree-lined path

Uniao de Facto (De Facto Union) in Portugal in 2026 - A Practical Guide to the Two-Year Rule, How You Prove It, the Tax, Housing and Social-Security Rights It Gives You, and Where It Stops Short of Marriage

Living together for two years gives unmarried couples in Portugal broad legal rights - tax, housing, social security and immigration. How the uniao de facto works, how you prove it, and where it stops short of marriage.

The Portugal Brief 07 Aug 2026

A pair of polished brown leather derby shoes on a white background

A Gaia Shoe Factory Founded in 1948 Collapses Into Insolvency, Leaving 54 Workers Without Their July Wages

Pontual, making shoes in Vila Nova de Gaia since 1948, has filed for insolvency - 54 workers dismissed without notice and owed over EUR100,000, months after taking PRR money for solar panels.

The Portugal Brief 07 Aug 2026

The concrete district office of Portugal's Segurança Social social-security service in Setúbal.

What Is the IAS? The €537.13 Figure That Quietly Sets Almost Every Portuguese Benefit, Threshold and Fine

Three letters run through Portugal's benefits, thresholds and fines: the IAS. For 2026 it is set at €537.13. Here is what the Indexante dos Apoios Sociais is, where the number comes from, and the range of payments and eligibility limits it quietly controls.

The Portugal Brief 06 Aug 2026

A red CP freight locomotive hauls shipping containers past the LNG tanks at Terminal XXI, Port of Sines.

The Port of Sines Handles a Record 189,000 Containers in July, Terminal XXI's Busiest Month Since 2004

Terminal XXI at the Port of Sines handled more than 189,000 containers in July, its busiest month since the deepwater harbour opened in 2004, narrowly beating the July 2025 record and capping a fifth straight month above four million tonnes of cargo.

The Portugal Brief 06 Aug 2026

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