Portuguese towns reject renewable energy acceleration zones plan

The municipalities of Fundão and Penamacor in central Portugal issued negative opinions on the draft Programme for Renewable Energy Acceleration Zones (PSZAER) during the public consultation. Both councils acknowledged the importance of the energy transition but warned that the proposal could compromise territorial planning, landscape integrity, agricultural activity, and local autonomy. Fundão, representing its 23 parishes, stressed the need for full municipal licensing and warned of possible saturation of land without adequate cumulative impact assessments. Penamacor highlighted that the programme could affect up to 10% of its municipal area, criticized the centralised decision‑making process and the lack of transparency in the “green map” methodology.

The Câmara Municipal of Vila Nova da Barquinha also submitted a dissenting opinion, citing technical and methodological gaps in the PSZAER draft. It argued that the plan fails to balance renewable energy expansion with protection of the Vale do Tejo landscape, the Castelo de Almourol heritage site, and local ecological assets, and called for stronger technical justification, impact monitoring and prioritisation of already degraded lands for new projects.