Council of Ministers Resolution no. 19/2025 was published today, approving the Allocation Plan for Offshore Renewable Energies (“PAER”), which defines the areas and volumes of national maritime space, in the subdivision of the continent, for the commercial exploitation of renewable energies of ocean origin or location.

The PAER focused exclusively on maritime areas adjacent to the mainland's west coast, selected for having the best resources and conditions for the development and installation of commercial parks to produce electricity from offshore renewable sources, especially suitable for floating technology, identifying areas that together allow for the installation of a capacity of up to 9.4 GW, slightly below the total capacity of 10 GW envisaged in the PNEC 2030.

As a result of the public consultation that took place at the end of 2023, the Government identified the need to reduce the impact on fishing activity and the environment and, consequently, the following amendments were made to the areas subject to public consultation: (i) the area north of Viana do Castelo was reduced; (ii) the area south of Viana do Castelo was eliminated; (iii) the Leixões area was slightly adjusted; and (iv) the Ericeira area was eliminated.

In total, the PAER covers 2711.6 km², which also includes an area of 5.6 km² in Aguçadoura, for the installation of non-commercial research and/or demonstration projects, representing a decrease of 470 km² compared to the proposal submitted for public discussion.

The PAER also establishes that the use of the areas planned for commercial projects will be executed through a government-initiated procedure, as established in article 64 of Decree-Law no. 38/2015, of March 12, as amended. We note that within the 2030 timeframe established in the PNEC, the goal is to initially create conditions for the allocation and installation of 2 GW through capacity auctions.

This Resolution enters into force on the day following its publication.