Regional Government Orders Preparation of Strategy for Madeira's Regional Gas System

The Regional Government Council approved Resolution No. 1023/2026, which orders the preparation of the Strategy for the Regional Gas System of the Autonomous Region of Madeira, abbreviated as ESRG-RAM.

Main Objectives#

• Strengthen the security, resilience and strategic energy autonomy of the Region.
• Diversify the sources and logistics chains of energy supply.
• Promote the progressive incorporation of renewable and low-carbon gases.
• Protect consumers and the competitiveness of the regional economy.

Expected Content#

The strategy should include, among other things, a diagnosis of the current situation, an analysis of the regional potential for biogas and biomethane, scenarios for 2030, 2040 and 2050, an analysis of the Sines-Madeira supply chain, an assessment of opportunities for supplying ships with renewable fuels, and an action plan. It should also analyse the risks associated with climate change.

Process and Deadlines#

• Coordination falls to the Regional Energy Directorate, under the guidance of the member of the Regional Government responsible for energy.
• A technical monitoring group will be set up with representation from several government areas.
• The proposal must undergo public consultation for a period of no less than 30 working days.
• The strategy proposal and its Action Plan must be presented to the Regional Government Council within a maximum of 18 months from the entry into force of the resolution.
• Whether the strategy should be subject to strategic environmental assessment will be analysed.

Background#

The Region has no public gas distribution network, and the sector relies on an autonomous logistics chain for liquefied natural gas, which is mainly intended to supply electricity production. Costs will be borne by budget allocations from the entities involved.