Former Minister of Environment and Climate Action, João Matos Fernandes, dismissed claims that coal-fired power plants were missed during Monday’s blackout, describing such assertions as “a blatant lie” and asserting that the shutdown of these plants had nothing to do with the widespread power failure.
“The coal lobby immediately voiced their opinions, but they are completely unjustified. It’s a blatant lie to confuse and mislead people by saying the blackout was because of the coal plant closures,” he stated in an interview with SIC Notícias on Tuesday.
He further recalled, “In 2000 or 2001, Portugal experienced a less severe blackout that affected the entire southern half of the country, and there were two coal plants operational at the time. Did they prevent the blackout? Did those plants play any role? None.” He noted that in Spain, the source of the blackout, there are also numerous nuclear and coal plants that failed to prevent the incident.
Thus, Matos Fernandes emphasized the importance of continuing investment in renewables and highlighted the need for Portugal to “reduce its energy dependence.”
The former minister disagreed with opinions like those expressed by former Minister of Industry and Energy, Luís Mira Amaral, who considered the closure of coal plants “premature and irresponsible.”
A widespread power outage affected Portugal and Spain from 11:30 a.m. on Monday, with no explanation yet from authorities.
Consequences of the blackout included closed airports, congestion in transport and traffic in major cities, and fuel shortages.
The electricity distribution network operator, E-Redes, confirmed this morning that the service has been fully restored and normalized.
