Filipe de Vasconcelos Fernandes took part in the latest episode of the Energy podcast from Água & Ambiente magazine. Joining Mário Paulo (chairman of Energy Services Regulatory Authority Advisory Board) and Paulo Preto dos Santos (vice-coordinator of the Order of Engineers' Energy Commission), and moderated by João Belo (Água&Ambiente diretor), the VdA lawyer analyses the outcome of the first auction for the centralised purchase of renewable gases and the ongoing strategies for hydrogen and biomethane.

During this episode, Filipe de Vasconcelos Fernandes addresses the challenges preventing the effective progress of renewable gases in Portugal, highlighting two central challenges: The first is due to the fact that the strategies defined have not been adapted to the existing regulatory uncertainty, something he considers to be a direct consequence of the European model in place in this area. The second factor is explained by the economic support model, which is based on subsidies. ‘This model has inherent risks and these risks seem to contaminate this delay,’ he explaines, emphasising the difficulties associated with a subsidy model and its impact on the implementation of the natural gas integration strategy.

This episode offers an in-depth reflection on the obstacles to the sector's development and the need to adjust national strategies to ensure a more sustainable future for renewable gases in Portugal.

  • The episode can be accessed here.