EDP is involved in projects that will secure €100 million worth of European funds for research and development in Portugal. The projects will focus on major innovation fields such as renewable energies, decarbonization, green hydrogen, and artificial intelligence applied to preventing and fighting forest fires. These projects were submitted earlier this year under a call for proposals for the European Commission-sponsored EU Green Deal program.

The selected projects will focus on several different fields. One of them is the production of offshore renewable energy, including hybridization concepts which bridge the gap between wind power and floating photovoltaic systems. This project will also focus on ocean-based energy and explore concepts such as the production of offshore green hydrogen, with a view to optimizing the integration of renewable energy production.

Green hydrogen production on a pre-commercial scale, aiming at developing production technology and boosting its competitiveness, is the focus of yet another selected research project.

One of the projects seeks to develop artificial intelligence and advanced drones to prevent and fight forest fires by developing synergies between critical infrastructure (such as water and electricity distribution systems) and local authorities.

The funds will also support the decarbonization of key infrastructures such as ports and Sines thermoelectric plant, which is currently being decommissioned. The goal is to showcase various technologies (such as green hydrogen or innovative mobility solutions) and digital tools that will drive the 'smartification' of the aforementioned infrastructure, as well as a greater efficiency and digitalization.

The selected projects will go through a round of negotiations and administrative procedures over the next three months. Once this stage has been completed, it is estimated that the projects - which have an average duration of five years - will kick off in late 2021. The global budget for the projects which EDP coordinates or is involved in exceeds €170 million; out of that amount, €100 million worth of European funds will now be distributed among the more than 125 partners involved in the selected projects.

Sponsored by the European Commission, the EU Green Deal is an extension of the Framework Program for Research and Development (also known as Horizon 2020), which aims to make Europe a modern, sustainable, and competitive economy. These targets include reaching net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 and driving sustainable economic growth, thus enabling a fair and inclusive transition process.

The aforementioned program was extremely competitive at European level, with about 1,500 consortiums competing for 20 tenders with projects in areas such as renewable energies, smart cities, sustainable farming, and other cross-cutting fields.

The projects selected under the EU Green Deal include important demonstration activities in Portugal involving several companies, but also organizations from Portugal's scientific and technological system. The entrepreneurial spirit and technical skills of these domestic and European organizations, together with EDP's leadership in aspects pertaining to the energy transition process, will now be boosted by European Green Deal funds. EDP believes that these projects are an important contribution to competitiveness and innovation and will help Portugal and Europe in their efforts to lead a sustainable and fair energy transition process.