Spanish electric utility giant Iberdrola announced on Monday that it secured the approval to build Portugal’s largest wind farm, a 274-megawatt project that will integrate with the country’s Tamega Power Plant System.
According to a press statement, the project will require an investment of about €350 million ($369.40 million) and a blend of wind and hydroelectric power, creating a hybrid renewable energy hub to reduce dependency on fossil fuels.
The venture has bagged a production license from the Portuguese Directorate General of Energy and Geology and will be constructed along northern Portugal’s Vila Real and Braga districts.
“This is an important step toward the construction of the largest wind farm, and the first hybrid project combining wind and hydropower, in Portugal,” said Alejandra Reyna, director of Iberdrola Renovables Portugal, in a statement.
“This project is a further demonstration of Iberdrola’s commitment to promoting the energy transition in Portugal, where it has already invested more than €2 billion in renewable energies over the last 20 years.”
A Powerhouse of Green Energy
The clean energy undertaking will have an annual production capacity of 601 gigawatt-hours, meeting the energy needs of 128,000 homes.
The release further stated that the wind farm will tap into the existing infrastructure of the Tamega Power Plant, taking advantage of pre-built connects and substation networks and minimizing its environmental footprint.
The wind farm will feature 38 cutting-edge Vestas Enventus V172 turbines, each standing 114 meters tall and boasting a unit capacity of 7.2 MW.
The integration of wind and hydroelectric systems will ensure greater energy production stability, even during periods of low wind, thanks to the hydroelectric plant’s ability to store and release energy as needed.
The Tamega Power Plant, one of Europe’s most ambitious hydroelectric projects in the past 25 years, includes three hydroelectric stations with a combined capacity of 1,158 MW.
This blending of wind and hydropower is expected to offer Portugal a more reliable supply of renewable energy, making the system less dependent on weather conditions and global energy markets.
At its construction peak, the project will create about 700 jobs, offering opportunities in civil engineering, wind turbine assembly and electrical infrastructure. It has partnered with Portuguese companies such as CJR, Conduril-Socorpena, Painhas, and Proef to construct the wind farm’s base, substation and transmission lines.
A Green Energy Milestone for Portugal
Iberdrola’s wind farm is part of a broader trend of green energy expansion in Portugal, which aims to meet its commitments under the European Union’s climate goals. The project is aligned with Portugal’s National Energy and Climate Plan, which seeks to reduce carbon emissions while enhancing the country’s energy independence.
The new wind farm will integrate with the Tamega hydropower system to avoid the emission of over 1.2 million tons of CO₂ annually — the equivalent of taking around 260,000 combustion-engine vehicles off the road each year.
The project will also reduce Portugal’s reliance on imported fossil fuels, cutting the need for over 160,000 tons of imported oil annually.
The wind farm is part of a broader partnership between Iberdrola and Norway’s sovereign wealth fund, managed by Norges Bank Investment Management.
This collaboration will fuel the growing trend of cross-border investment in Europe’s green energy sector, with major players pooling resources to meet the continent’s ambitious climate targets.
The new wind farm construction is expected to commence in early 2025, marking a new chapter for Portugal’s energy system.
