“If the construction commences, we will file for an injunction because the start of the project poses an imminent threat of causing severe and irreparable damage in the project’s area of influence,” Careto criticized.
The warning from the C7 coalition coincides with the scheduled signing of multiple contracts related to the implementation of the Empreendimento de Aproveitamento Hidráulico de Fins Múltiplos (EAHFM) of Crato, known as the Barragem do Pisão, at 15:00 today.
During a ceremony at the Paços do Concelho of the Crato Municipality, contracts for the project’s financing and the concession for building primary infrastructures, including the act of consignment for dam construction, will be signed, as disclosed by the Comunidade Intermunicipal do Alto Alentejo (CIMAA), the entity responsible for implementing the Pisão project.
Earlier this year, the Administrative and Fiscal Court of Castelo Branco (TAFCB) issued a ruling annulling the Environmental Impact Statement (DIA) included in the project’s Single Environmental Title (TUA), following an action initiated by the C7 coalition.
In February, Environment Minister Maria da Graça Carvalho announced that the Portuguese Environment Agency (APA) had appealed the court decision that annulled the DIA of the Barragem do Pisão, which involves an investment exceeding 222 million euros.
At the beginning of this month, the Minister for Regional Development and Co-territorial Cohesion, Manuel Castro Almeida, who also leads the AD – PSD/CDS Coalition list in Portalegre for the upcoming elections on the 18th, announced the potential advancement of the dam’s construction.
Speaking to Lusa at the time, the government official stated that the TAFCB “resolved the pending legal issues” and that the ruling “favors” the progression of this project.
“Additionally, all the necessary authorizations and licenses were granted by the Portuguese Environment Agency and the Institute for Nature Conservation and Forests,” he added.
Contacted at the same time by Lusa, José Janela of the Portalegre regional branch of the environmental association Quercus, one of the NGOs responsible for the action at the TAFCB, deemed the Government’s statements “incorrect.”
“The TAFCB ordered that the case be referred to the Southern Administrative Central Court for consideration of appeals, without nullifying the decision that favored the NGOs,” he stated.
Today’s ceremony is expected to be attended by the Minister for Regional Development and Territorial Cohesion, Castro Almeida, and the Minister of Environment and Energy, Maria da Graça Carvalho, as reported by CIMAA, covering the 15 municipalities of the Portalegre district.
The project’s funding, initially part of the Recovery and Resilience Plan (PRR), has transitioned to the State Budget, increasing from 151 million euros to over 222 million, with full completion of all components of the Pisão scheduled for 2027.
