Rui Barreto made this revelation in the Legislative Assembly, in Funchal, in the discussion of the decree that adapts to Madeira the legal regime applicable to self-consumption of energy and defines the legal regime for the installation of production units for self-consumption in the region.

“It is possible to reach 50 percent by the end of the year,” he said, adding that the Regional Government is making “a true democra-tisation in energy production,” making it possible for people to produce and sell surplus energy to the grid.

“We hope to achieve a reduction of 92,000 tonnes of fuel oil next year,” he said.

Rui Barreto also noted that the Regional Government was also preparing the Basic Law for the Organisation and Operation of the Region’s Electricity System.

The target of 50 percent renewable energy by the end of the year was, however, contested by PS deputy Silvia Silva and JPP deputy Rafael Nunes, who noted that in 2019, according to data from Empresa de Eletricidade da Madeira, only 24.2 percent of the energy obtained was generated by renewable sources, the rest coming from fossil fuels.

The parliamentary leader of the socialists, Miguel Iglesias, criticised the “late” presentation of the regional legislative decree.

The Legislative Assembly also debated an initiative by the Socialist Party (PS), which establishes the legal framework for beekeeping and health standards for the defence of bees, adapting national legislation to the region.