The warning is made in a report by the Directorate-General for Energy and Geology (DGEG), cited by the newspaper Expresso, which says that blackouts could occur in Portugal if significant improvements are not made to the operation of the national electricity system.

The report presents simulations carried out by the National Electricity Network (REN), which concludes that the country cannot meet the minimum reliability requirements for the electricity grid in any of the scenarios analysed for the next ten years.

These conclusions come more than a year after the blackout on 28 April 2025, which exposed weaknesses in Portugal's electrical infrastructure. In this context, the report indicates that the identified problems have not disappeared and continue to represent a risk to the security of the energy supply.

Main concern

The document states that the main concern is the difficulty of ensuring that available production meets electricity demand, especially in a context where energy consumption continues to increase.

The report says that the Portuguese electricity system could register a deficit of 12.8 hours, nine times the level considered acceptable under sector regulation, which is set at 1.45 hours. In other words, there will be periods when available energy will not meet demand, requiring network management measures that may include consumption cuts.