Portugal plans to grant licences by the end of the year for the construction of large-scale wind farms as part of an effort to reduce the nation's high dependence on oil imports, Economy Minister Manuel Pinho said Monday.
The wind farms would have a capacity to generate 1,700 megawatts of energy and involve investments of 900 million euros (1.1 billion dollars), most of it from the private sector, he added.
The licences are part of a plan unveiled in June to invest 25 billion euros in public and private money to upgrade infrastructure over the next four years, including 2.5 billion euros to develop renewable energy.
"Price, technology and environmental concerns will be the three main criteria which will be taken into account when attributing the licences," Pinho told AFP on the sidelines of a conference on renewable energy.
Portugal is one of the most dependent nations on oil in the 25-member European Union. Last year oil made up 58 percent of its primary energy consumption, economy minister figures show.
Prime Minister Jose Socrates, a former environment minister, said the wind farms would transform Portugal in a world leader in renewable energy as well as reduce its dependence on fuel imports.
"The goal is to create a new industrial site that is capable of changing Portugal's energy profile," he said.
"We will not develop wind energy on the basis of imported materials. We want to create a whole industry linked to this energy source," he added.
Earlier this month Socrates, who took office in March, rejected a proposal made by a consortium of businesses to construct a nuclear power plant with a capacity of 1,600 megawatts at a cost of 3.5 billion euros.
Spanish utility Iberdrola, the largest wind farm owner in the world, said in a statement that it was interested in running for a Portuguese wind licence.
Portugal's EDP Portuguese power firm EDP-Energias de Portugal, a former state monopoly, as well as state-controlled oil company Galp Energia are also expected to make bids for licences.
