Portugal Situation Report Wednesday 21^st December 2022 

Good morning – I thought I would devote this introduction to crime prevention, as although it is a season to be jolly with the approach to Christmas (just 4 days away), it is also a time when criminals have their own way of celebrating. So let’s make it a Christmas for criminals to remember by taking simple and easy precautions that protect your home and therefore reduce the opportunities for them to celebrate.

The majority of burglaries are committed by opportunists. In the majority of cases, the culprits gain access through the rear of the property.  Very few burglaries lead to violence and the contents most sought after are cash, electronic equipment, especially computers, gold and other metal items

In terms of opportunist property crime the most frequent means of access is through open windows when the property is unoccupied. There is a simple message here spend 5 minutes before going out checking that windows and doors are closed and locked, lights switch on if at night time, cars locked if kept in a driveway or open car port.

It is important to create the impression that a property is occupied when in fact it is not. The majority of burglars do not want to be confronted by occupants for obvious reasons. Ways to create this impression are to use timers on lights and even radios, which can be set at variable times over an extended period. If the house is unoccupied over a longer period, then register it as an empty property though the GNR or PSP websites or by visiting your local police station and completing a simple pro-forma.

A neighbour visiting your home just two to three times a week, drawing curtains and moving a car in a driveway are good ways of creating a “lived in impression” as well as checking everything is OK. Return the gesture when they are away.

If you are going to be absent for a time, do not advertise the fact on social media. Posting holiday snaps to the world is a giveaway. Even in Facebook groups there are those who monitor these sites to check for opportunities, when the property maybe vacant. Related to this is posting your personal details on social media. I recall a person in the Algarve who displayed his driving licence on Facebook; an open invitation for identity theft.

During the Christmas period it is always nice to receive presents or go out and purchase something new such as a TV set or laptop etc. Take care when disposing of the packaging especially at the rubbish bins, that no receipts are left inside and your name and address is not visible on the outside of the parcel.

If you are away for some time, ensure that mail does not build up in your post box. This is a sure sign that your property is unoccupied. Ask a neighbour or friend to collect mail from the box regularly.

Our team at Safe Communities Portugal thank you for your support and wish you and your family a Very Safe and happy Christmas and New Year.

News

MAI announces that SEF restructuring will take place by March 2023

Lisbon, 20 Dec 2022 (Lusa) – The Minister of Internal Administration announced today that the restructuring of the SEF will take place during the first quarter of next year and rejected that it is about the extinction of a security service.

“We are talking about restructuring, even from a legal point of view, we should talk about restructuring the SEF, because the skills and people who have these skills will continue to work in the internal security system. What is expected is that in the first quarter of 2023 we will have the conditions for this transition to take place”, José Luís Carneiro told journalists.

The minister was speaking after the National Republican Guard, the Public Security Police, the Foreigners and Borders Service and the Judiciary Police signed four protocols that establish the model of cooperation between the security forces and services within the framework of the restructuring of the Portuguese control system of borders.

The signing of these protocols marks the beginning of the transfer of police powers to the GNR, PSP and PJ within the scope of the restructuring of the SEF.

“The security forces are now able to cooperate in police terms to ensure security and integrated border management, with a view to creating a common work culture, as happened during the summer between the PSP and the SEF”, explained José Luís Carneiro.

As part of the restructuring of the SEF, which was postponed until the creation of the Portuguese Agency for Migration and Asylum (APMA), the police competences of the Aliens and Borders Service will pass to the PSP, GNR and PJ, while the current attributions in terms of Administrative responsibility for foreign citizens will now be exercised by the APMA and the Institute of Registries and Notaries.

The restructuring of the SEF was decided by the previous Government and approved by the Assembly of the Republic in November 2021, having already been postponed twice.

Road Safety Authority warns of fraudulent emails with alleged traffic fines

Notifications of fines are sent only by mail and no indication of these emails should be followed, warns the Road Safety Authority.

The Road Safety Authority warns that fraudulent emails are being sent with alleged traffic fines taken by radar.

This entity clarifies that it only sends notifications by mail and that no indication of these emails should be followed. In addition to containing the image of the Road Safety Authority, some of these emails also have the image of the GNR and the PSP.

This is a phishing scam with the aim of obtaining data. If you have received any of this type of email and have questions, you should contact the Road Safety Authority.

2023 could be one of the hottest years ever

Experts estimate that 2023 will be the 10th consecutive year that global temperatures are at least 1°C above pre-industrial levels (between 1850 and 1900). Forecasts indicate that they are around 1.2ºC higher.

The year with the highest average global temperature since the second half of the 19th century is 2016, when the “El Niño” phenomenon was recorded in the Pacific Ocean (increase in sea temperature, leading to an increase in global temperatures).

In recent years, the opposite phenomenon has occurred, explains SKY News that is “El Niña”, with the water temperature dropping. However, and according to British meteorologists, the climate model indicates that next year an increase in temperature is expected in parts of the Pacific Ocean.

“This change will likely make the global temperature in 2023 warmer than in 2022.”

Even so, one of those responsible for the UK meteorology service, Adam Scaife, considers that 2023 will not surpass the record set for 2016.

“Without an ‘El Niño’ precedent for increasing global temperatures, 2023 may not be a record year, but with global greenhouse gas emissions rising at a rapid pace, it is likely to be another remarkable year,” he said. Scaife to Sky News.

For 2022, experts had predicted that the global temperature would be between 0.97°C and 1.21°C above pre-industrial levels. Data up to October, according to Sky News, suggest that the global average temperature is about 1.16°C above the pre-industrial era.

 

Portugal Situation Report Wednesday 14^th December 2022

Good morning – Not surprisingly the main focus of this week’s report is the weather and the flooding and damage caused in many parts of the mainland.

The good news amongst all this is that there were few injuries and those that did occur were mainly minor. The amount of rain has been considerable particularly in the Lisbon area and other areas such as Portalegre.

Yesterday morning the ANEPC reported over one thousand occurrences and more than 30% (328) in the Lisbon district”. Most occurrences are registered in “flooded buildings, overflow of water lines, in Loures, Algés, with 449 floods. On top of from 21:00 on Monday until 16:00 today, 538 occurrences due to bad weather occurred as reported by Lisbon Firefighters.

These figures will certainly be revised, but it can be concluded from this that the all the warnings from the IPMA and alerts and notifications to the population from the ANEPC helped save life and property. It is essential that people understand the risks of such intense and heavy rain and the impact it can cause. Knowing the risks and impacts helps people be prepared by reducing the risks through taking the appropriate actions as advised by the authorities.

In this case apart from the normal advice by the ANEPC, there was advice by various authorities including the President of IPMA to only travel if your journey is really necessary certainly in areas most affected by the bad weather. This was sound advice as apart from reducing the number of people potentially at risk, it reduces the work of the emergency workers who have worked literally 24/7 to deal with the occurrences over the last week or so.

Hopefully the scenes from social media will send a signal for the days, weeks and months ahead that taking the proper precautions is the “cool” thing to do! In this regards I once again highlight the advice not to drive through flooded waters, except if there is no option available, and only then at a slow speed.

The other risk is that of landslides which there were several today one engulfing a car north of Lisbon. Slopes have been saturated with the heavy rain after a long dry spell, especially where the soil has been burned during fires. Take specially care and be on the lookout for slopes that appear unstable and/or debris and mud on the road.

Another impact of course was the disruption to the transport network as well as some rail transport, particularly in Lisbon district. We therefore stress the importance of checking with transport operators before starting your journey, as this avoids people congregating at transport stations, wasted journeys and the risk of being stranded in a flood. We thank all those workers who tried in difficult conditions to get the transport flowing again as soon as was possible.

Although at the time of writing this introduction there are no rain warnings in place, the first time for some days, this does not mean the flooding has stopped. As reported last night by the Captaincy of Porto, there is a possibility that today floods could occur on the Douro River in Régua and that on Wednesday, towards the end of the afternoon, the river would reach the banks in Porto. Other rivers at risk of overflowing were highlighted contained in our Facebook post. We recommend therefore that those of you living close to rivers monitor the situation closely and listen to the news and local updates in particular.

With all that please monitor the weather over the next few days and we will disseminate updates, information and advice, so please follow this page for the latest developments.

I thank my colleagues Fernanda and Susan for their help in keeping people posted during this period.

Have a safe week

News

Four Arrested for Hundreds of “MBWay Scams”

Three men and one woman were arrested on suspicion of crimes of qualified fraud, computer and communications fraud, computer fraud, illegitimate access and money laundering. In the last two years hundreds of “MBWay” scams have been committed.

As of 2020, suspects set up an elaborate scheme that allowed them to gain access to hundreds of victims’ bank accounts. They responded to sales advertisements on “online” platforms and were predisposed to make payments through MBWay. If victims had MBWay, they would make up an excuse and walk away from the business. If they didn’t have it, they were convinced to join the system.

They pretended to help sellers to register, but, in reality, “cunningly, they induced victims to provide direct access to bank accounts by associating a mobile phone number in the possession of the authors, to provide card data, to give orders to requests sending money or sending withdrawal codes”.

With this method, they will have managed to access hundreds of bank accounts, making movements to withdraw funds whose value has not yet been fully determined, explains the PJ in a statement.

This Tuesday, the Judicial Police Centre carried out an action in Monforte, Castelo Branco, Loures and Lisbon, which resulted in the arrest of four suspects: three men and a woman aged between 20 and 35 years whilst caught in the act. Articles and data related to the commission of crimes were seized, in particular the identification of bank accounts, hundreds of cell phone calls to the victims, dozens of cards and cell phones.

Former vice-president of the European Parliament and other suspects had more than 1.5 million at home

Police have found more than 1.5 million euros in cash in the homes of former Vice-President of the European Parliament (EP) Eva Kaili and former Italian MP Pier Antonio Panzeri, sources from the Belgian Federal Public Prosecutor’s Office said on Tuesday.

Investigators found around 600,000 euros in Panzeri’s house, while the rest of the money was found in the house of Eva Kaili and her husband Francesco Giorgi, as well as in the hands of the father of the former vice-president of the EP, judicial sources confirmed to the Spanish agency EFE.

Panzeri, Kaili and Giorgi, against whom an arrest warrant was issued by investigating judge Michel Claise, as well as a fourth person detained in the same case, are due to appear before the Brussels court on Wednesday, which will decide whether they should remain under custody, reported Le Soir.

The so-called ” Qatargate ” case , allegedly involving favors to the country hosting the world football championship, has so far resulted in Kaili being accused of participating in a criminal organization, money laundering and corruption.

According to Belgian media, the judge charged European Parliament adviser Francesco Giorgi and Brussels lobbyist and former Italian MP Pier Antonio Panzeri with the same crimes.

The socialist Eva Kaili, 44 years old, was removed this Tuesday from the position of vice-president of the EP by the plenary, after her arrest at the weekend was known.

 

Portugal Situation Report Wednesday 7^th December 2022

Good morning – This introduction focuses on the issuing of the weather warnings by the IPMA, the notification to the population by the ANEPC of the forecast weather and likely effects, and of course the weather conditions and impact experienced in the Algarve particularly on Sunday 4^th and Monday 5^th December 2022.

It was clear from the warnings and notifications, especially the hoisting of an orange rain warning coupled with a yellow level high wind warning, that the Algarve was likely to experience bad weather which could pose a public safety risk. This was well supported by weather charts at least two days in advance showing the arrival of heavy rain resulting from a depression forming to the west of the Iberian Peninsula. This is not unusual at this time of the year, but what is important is distinguishing between what is “normal” and what poses a higher risk than normal.

The fact is that, high winds, heavy rain showers and the term “extreme wind conditions” the term used by the ANEPC in their bulletin, are all indicators of what lay ahead. In our posts we included the ECMWF model showing heavy rain approaching around late afternoon on Saturday evening – and so it came to pass right on time!

If everyone had read the bulletins and warnings that were published, more people would have been aware and prepared. With the type of heavy and intense rain showers that are being encountered some are invariably “scattered” which means it does not always affect everyone. If it does affect an area then the population recognizes the good work of forecasters; however if the areas does see a single drop of rain, then residents  may claim that the warnings were exaggerated and can become blasé to the risk.  This can be a grave mistake and although weather forecasting has greatly improved over the last few years, there are still many variables particularly for instance in the path taken by cyclones. If an orange level (the second highest on the scale) is issued this should be taken seriously and be prepared as advised by the ANEPC.

It is worth noting that the main areas of the Algarve that were flooded on Sunday and Monday included Quarteira and Faro – both coastal towns. In November 2015 Albufeira (another coastal town) suffered from widespread flooding as following the hoisting of a red warning. It is therefore important to know your area and locations which may be more vulnerable to flooding.

The second point I wish to make is driving in heavy rain and flooded areas. We published advice on this, some of the main points being: to use lights when driving and not to cross flooded areas by car or cycling as sewage covers can become dislodged with obvious risks. Although most people appeared to be using their lights, not all were and this included some professional drivers. In the very heavy rain on Monday morning on the A22 a number of people were driving will over 130 km/h (I was at 95km/h) and given the conditions this posed a danger to themselves and others.

If there are floods and extremely heavy rain consider – is the journey really necessary? If there are floods ahead try and turn around or change direction if possible. If, however you do find yourself in a flooded area do not try and drive through.  If the vehicle is too deep the water may cover the exhaust pipe and you will be stranded probably affecting others as well. From social medial footage I saw many were attempting to drive too quickly thereby causing a bow wave which is dangerous and can result in a vehicle using its grip and damage to the engine. Certainly some of the cars shown in some photos/video had become dislodged in open sewage channels and had therefore been immobilized in part due to drivers taking the wrong decisions. I will be publishing more about this later this morning.

The forecast weather for today Wednesday has necessitated the raising of the Yellow and Orange level warnings for the Algarve, Beja and Setubal starting Faro at 0600 hrs a heavy rain warning for all other districts, so be aware and follow the precautions.

Please see our separate post regarding this.

With that have a safe day and please take care when driving

 News

More than 100 police officers suspended since 2019 for violating rule of law

Lisbon, Dec 6, 2022 (Lusa) – The Minister of Internal Administration revealed yesterday that 107 members of the PSP and GNR have been dismissed, compulsorily retired and suspended from service since 2019 for violating “fundamental values ​​of the rule of law”.

In a parliamentary hearing on the alleged involvement of PSP and GNR members in practices that violate the rule of law, namely in the dissemination of racist, xenophobic, misogynistic and hateful messages, José Luís Carneiro gave an account of the “rigor in the performance of the command of the GNR and the direction of the PSP to monitor attitudes and behaviours that are harmful to the fundamental values ​​of the rule of law”.

“Between 2019 and November 2022, 107 elements of the PSP and GNR were dismissed, compulsorily retired and suspended from service. Among these, 36 were fired, compulsorily retired and suspended from service between May and November of this year”, explained the minister at the hearing requested by the PCP, BE, PAN and Livre.

José Luís Carneiro assured deputies that “the General Inspection of Internal Administration (IGAI), the command of the GNR and the direction of the PSP have been carrying out systematic, serious and rigorous work to improve recruitment, training, information, awareness, monitoring and sanctioning, to prevent individual attitudes and behaviour that violate the values ​​of the democratic rule of law”.

The official also advanced that the training to be carried out next year in the criminal area will be carried out by IGAI inspectors from the judiciary.

The hearing of the minister comes after a report by a Portuguese consortium of investigative journalism, which includes journalists, lawyers and academics, reported that allegedly almost 600 members of the PSP and GNR, most of them active, use social networks to violate the law by writing racist and hateful messages.

Twelve arrested after special PSP operation in three parishes of Lisbon

Lisbon, 06 Dec 2022 (Lusa) – Twelve people were arrested today as part of the special criminal prevention operation carried out in three parishes of Lisbon, six of which are suspected of drug trafficking, announced the Public Security Police (PSP).

The 12 detainees are aged between 17 and 51 and are suspected of various types of crime, “namely six for drug trafficking, four for abusive occupation of residences and two for possession of prohibited weapons and ammunition”, said Commissioner André Teixeira. , from the Lisbon Criminal Investigation Division of the PSP.

Speaking to the Lusa agency, the PSP commissioner said that the police operation began at 7:15 am and ended at around 9:30 am, in the parishes of Areeiro, Penha de França and Beato, focusing more specifically on the Carlos Botelho, Portugal Novo and Quinta do Lavrado.

In addition to the arrests, the PSP seized cocaine, heroin and “about 1.5 kilograms of a product suspected of being hashish”, said commissioner André Teixeira, adding that around 20 thousand euros, ammunition of different calibers and other objects were also seized, all related to the practice of illicit activities, namely drug trafficking.

“All arrests were boosted within the scope of compliance with 15 home search warrants and five non-domicile search warrants”, said the PSP official.

These warrants were issued following the criminal prevention operation carried out under the arms law, in which the PSP collected, throughout this year, a set of information that denoted “an incidence of crimes committed with a firearm in these three places”.

Searches at the Ministry of Defence: PJ made five arrests for corruption, three are senior officials

The Judiciary Police (PJ), through the National Unit for Combating Corruption, carried out this Tuesday the execution of 59 search warrants, of which 29 were house searches and 30 non-domestic searches, aiming at the collection of complementary and related evidence.

This involves suspicions of criminal practices in the exercise of public functions, under investigation, which resulted in five arrests, one of which was Alberto Coelho, a senior State official who for six years led the Directorate-General for National Defence Resources, reveals CNN Portugal.

According to the station, the case that led to the arrest of Alberto Coelho is related to the refurbishment works of the Military Hospital of Belém, in Lisbon, which cost the State 3.2 million euros, compared to the 750 thousand initially foreseen. The slippage was revealed by an audit by the General Inspection of National Defence (IGDN), which aimed at Alberto Coelho’s performance, noting the “absence of competence (…) to authorize the expenditure”, among other aspects.

 

Portugal Situation Report Wednesday 30^th November 2022

Good morning – firstly I am pleased to report that over 60 people have registered for our community Lunch which we will be holding in Loule today. This also marls 10 years since we registered as Safe Communities Portugal, changing our name to Safe Communities Portugal in 2014, as a result of expansion in other parts of the mainland. We are pleased that Clive Jewell British Vice Consul responsible for the Algarve will be attending as our guest speaker, who has given great support to work that we do. We are looking forward to a very enjoyable event.

For those who listen to KissFM I outlined last Sunday on the Solid Gold Sunday Crime check feature, the various types of fraud and on-lone scams that we should expect to see in the lead up to Christmas.

Unfortunately not everything on Facebook and other social media is true! There is a temptation (sometimes a compulsion) to respond immediately to posts, or click on dubious links, and this applies to UNSOLICITED offers of goods and services. Remember if it appears too good to be true then it usually is! Take time to check out the offer.

If possible use online retailers/brands you are aware of and trust. For major brands always go to their official website to find a list of authorised sellers. Ensure you have adequate anti-virus software that will enable your computer to flag any untrustworthy sites.

Another is fake parcel delivery scams – In the lead up to Christmas we are already seeing an increase in Portugal of on-line parcel delivery scams in emails using the names of well-known couriers, such as CTT – DHL etc.  If you are expecting a delivery be particularly careful. Check senders address email address first, some are obviously incorrect others more difficult to spot- Do not click on any links in emails, open attachments or reply. Simply delete the email.

Fraudsters are becoming more sophisticated in the way they operate and have now started using QR codes linked to fake websites they have created. Be aware, therefore of any QR code embedded in an unsolicited email as this can be a scam. If you don’t know the sender, don’t scan the QR code.  If in doubt check with the company concerned but not using the contact details in the email. For those who are UK take payers please be aware that there are fake emails circulating using the name of HMRC demanding payment of overdue taxes using QR codes linked to fake websites.

For those living in north and centre we are now seeing overnight temperatures dropping to zero or even below in some places. During the cold weather there are certain precautions to take when it comes to protecting from low temperatures.

Many domestic accidents are due to the effect of carbon monoxide, toxic gas, odourless and colourless and most fatal domestic fires are at night time. Reminders from the ANEPC are:

Don’t try and keep warm using appliances intended for other uses: such as grills etc; Keep the room ventilated; Do not store gas bottles in basements or near heat sources; Before you go to bed or leave the house, check if you have turned off the heating equipment; Avoid sleeping next to heating equipment. Install a carbon monoxide alarm. If someone has symptoms of poisoning, contact the INEM Anti-poison Information Centre: 800 250 250 and in serious cases contact 112.

Also with cold temperature there will likely be more frost and icy patches on roads. It is a good time therefore to ensure that your tyres and windscreen wipers are in good order and that windscreen washers are topped up. Check the spray nozzles of your windshield-washer system.

Darker mornings, evenings and lower temperatures around this time of year make conditions more difficult. Road surface temperatures are usually a few degrees lower, so drivers should not rely on in-car temperature sensors as an indicator of possible frost or ice.

A winter accident could leave you stuck on the side of the road. If you regularly drive in very cold areas packing your car with a few essentials will help keep you safe and ready for whatever conditions pop up on your trip. A useful tip we have come across is to keep the fuel tank at least half full throughout the winter. This will reduce condensation, making your vehicle easier to start on cold mornings.

Lastly we have yet to see the first IPMA low temperature warning for this winter or ANEPC advice to the public, but when they do appear, please follow the warnings and advice given – which are there for your safety.

With that have a safe week ahead.

News

Two engineers go on trial for landslides in Guimarães in 2013

Guimarães, Braga, 29 Nov 2022 (Lusa) – The Court of Appeal of Guimarães (TRG) has decided to bring to trial two engineers in the landslide process registered in 2013 in Mesão Frio, Guimarães, which cut the bypass that connects this municipality to Fafe.

In a note published today on its website, the Porto Regional Attorney General’s Office (PGRP) explains that the decision follows an appeal filed by the Public Ministry (MP) to that higher court, after the Criminal Instruction Court (TIC) of Guimarães, in February of this year, not pronounce (not bring to trial) any of the four defendants previously accused, and who had requested the opening of instruction.

According to the PGRP, by judgment issued on November 21, the TRG “upheld partially” the MP’s appeal and pronounced (decided to bring to trial) a technical engineer and a civil engineer “for the crime of infraction of construction rules, damage to facilities and disruption of services”.

On June 21, 2019, the Public Prosecutor’s Office in Braga (Guimarães, 2nd section) brought charges against the company responsible for the construction of 10 luxury villas, two managing partners and two engineers – now pronounced – imputing them “the commission of a crime of infraction of construction regulations, damage to installations and disruption of services, and a crime of attacking the safety of road transport”.

The defendants requested the opening of an investigation, an optional phase that aims to decide by a criminal investigation judge whether the process continues and in what ways for trial, having, on February 22 of this year, the TIC of Guimarães issued an order of non-pronouncement, decision now reversed by the TRG, but only for the two engineers.

The MP’s accusation maintains that, in the context of the construction of a real estate project consisting of 10 houses, the defendant contractors built, from March 15, 2007 to February 22, 2008, a landfill, in Mesão Frio, Guimarães municipality, “together with the defendant engineers, who had not observed the good construction rules contained in the regulatory standards applicable to this type of construction, namely those relating to drainage and soil composition”.

“As a direct and necessary consequence of such construction flaws”, on April 2, 2013 “the soils of the work, as well as the slope, slipped in a length of 60 meters and height of 50 meters”, stresses the MP.

Pharmacist recalls batches of eye drops sold in Portugal

Lisbon, 29 Nov 2022 (Lusa) – German pharmaceutical company Bitop AG is recalling eight batches of Ectodol eye drops, marketed in Portugal, after a reduction in the main component was detected, the national drug regulator (Infarmed) announced today. .

The batches in question are A841E, A841F, A841G, B841D, B841E, B841F, B841G and B841H, lists the National Authority for Medicines and Health Products (Infarmed) in an informative circular dated Monday and released today on its website.

Infarmed recommends, according to the measures provided by the manufacturer, the “immediate interruption of the ophthalmic solution and its return to the acquisition establishment” although, according to the evaluation carried out by the pharmaceutical company, “the effectiveness and performance” of the drops are not affected, not constituting a health risk.

The collection of targeted batches began “after a decrease in the predicted concentration of ectoine, the main component of the solution, and the presence of degradation products of this substance were identified”.

To date, according to Infarmed, “no cases of incidents associated with the use of these lots have been reported”.

However, Infarmed advises, “in case of any unwanted side effect, such as eye irritation or conjunctivitis, contact a health professional”.

Ectodol Eye Drops work by “reducing inflammation of the conjunctiva and regenerating irritated and sensitive conjunctiva”.

EDP ​​Renováveis ​​installs the most powerful onshore wind turbines in the Iberian Peninsula in the Algarve

Barão São João wind farm, in the Algarve, with two new wind towers, equipped with 6.2 megawatt Vestas wind turbines, the most powerful machines in land parks in the Iberian Peninsula

EDP ​​Renováveis ​​and the Danish company Vestas completed the installation of the most powerful turbines for onshore wind farms. The two new wind turbines, with a unitary power of 6.2 megawatts (MW), were installed at the Barão São João wind farm, in Lagos, in the Algarve, EDP said in a statement this Monday.

The power of this equipment does not, however, exceed that which is operational in the Windfloat Atlantic offshore wind farm, off Viana do Castelo, with three machines of 8 MW each, although it is normal for offshore parks to be equipped with turbines more powerful than land installations.

The park has two new towers, equipped with Vestas EnVentus V162 wind turbines, machines to which 80-meter-long blades will be attached.

With this project, Vestas exceeds 900 MW of installed capacity or capacity under construction in Portugal, although the total volume of wind capacity on which Vestas is providing services in the country (including parks with equipment from other manufacturers) exceeds 1 gigawatt (GW), according to the EDP statement.