Iberdrola Renewables Portugal

As part of its strategy to expand its business and strengthen its presence as an energy leader in European countries, the Iberdrola Group set up its subsidiary in Portugal in 2004. The step taken by the company, with the inauguration of its headquarters in Lisbon, was aimed at developing its activities in the then emerging Portuguese market.

One of its first major moves under the name Iberdrola Portugal was its entry into the Portuguese wind energy market with the signing of an agreement with Gamesa to operate the Catefica wind farm (18 MW), close to the country's capital. In that same year, the Group acquired 250 MW of installed wind farm capacity, making definitive progress in its positioning as the leading renewable energy company on the Iberian Peninsula.

In July 2022, the company inaugurated one of its most emblematic projects in the country: the Tâmega Gigabattery. This is a huge hydroelectric storage project involving three power plants (Gouvães, Daivões and Alto Tâmega) built on the Tâmega river, a tributary of the Douro located in the north of Portugal, near Oporto. The three facilities will have an installed capacity of 1,158 MW, enough to store the energy consumed by 11 million people during 24 hours in their homes.

The Daivões (conventional plant) and Gouvães (pumped-storage plant) have been in operation since 2022, while the Alto Tâmega hydroelectric plant has been operational since the end of 2024. As pumped hydro is currently the only technology capable of storing massive amounts of electricity efficiently, this complex will be able to make the most of the energy generated by the wind and sun, compensating for when the sun doesn’t shine or the wind doesn’t blow and doesn’t turn the blades of the wind turbines.

The Gouvães reservoir, which together with Daivões and Alto Tâmega comprises the complex on the river Tâmega.

In addition, many areas of the country offer the right conditions to continue to invest in renewable energies, and solar photovoltaics is a perfect example of this. In August 2019, Iberdrola entered the country's photovoltaic market with the award of 172 MW of solar capacity in the Algarve and Tagus Valley regions. On that occasion, Iberdrola ended up being the largest bidder in terms of number of lots, with a total of seven PV projects.

In addition, during 2022, numerous renewable facilities have been commissioned, such as the Algeruz II photovoltaic plant (27 MW), the Iberdrola Group's first facility of this type in Portugal, and the Conde photovoltaic plant (14 MW). The Montechoro I and II photovoltaic complex (36.5 MW) was commissioned in 2024, which with more than 64,554 bifacial panels will generate enough power to supply around 19 k households in the country.

The Algeruz II photovoltaic plant, the first of its kind to be commissioned in Portugal.

In terms of wind power production, the Group's subsidiary in Portugal has three operational facilities: Catefica (18 MW), Alto do Monção (32 MW) and Serra do Alvão (42 MW). The three wind farms generate 200 GWh per year.

In addition, in 2024 the company began building a large 274 MW wind farm, which will be connected to the Tâmega gigabattery, and which will turn the complex into a hybrid generation plant. This will use the energy produced by wind power during periods of peak demand, while conserving surplus generators to feed the pumping system, so that the electricity supply to users is always guaranteed.

Thanks to our knowledge and experience in the electricity supply sector, we maintain a solid commercial relationship in Portugal for the sale of energy, gas, smart solutions and payment protection through our subsidiary in the country, Iberdrola Renewables Portugal. With more than 870,000 supply points, the company's customers can enjoy special services for both their homes and their premises, in addition to plans for individuals related to electric mobility and solar energy.

Investing in Portuguese start-ups

In a new step in the Group's commitment to Portugal, an investment was made in 2024 in Buenavista Ventures, a €100 M fund dedicated to Portuguese start-ups with scalable business models and growth potential. The forecast of Iberdrola's subsidiary in the country is to make between 25 and 35 investments in national start-ups, supporting more than 3 k opportunities identified in highly innovative tech projects with a special focus on promoting sustainability.

The initiative, which is part of the PERSEO programme, represents the company's firm commitment to innovation and sustainability in the Portuguese tech ecosystem.

Environmental management system 

At Iberdrola Renewables Portugal we share the Iberdrola Group's culture of improving the management of all processes and activities through the highest quality standards. That is why our environmental management system is endorsed through our certificate and verifications based on international standards. 

See the ISO14001 certificate of Iberdrola Renewables Portugal's environmental management system [PDF in Spanish].