ZERO aims that it will be difficult for Portugal to reach the goal of reducing electricity consumption by 10%
The president of ZERO, Francisco Ferreira, believes that “it is not so easy” for Portugal to achieve a goal of reducing electricity consumption by 10%, proposed this Wednesday by the European Commission.
announced this Wednesday a series of measures to mitigate the energy crisis, including the general reduction of the electricity consumption of Member States by 10%, by March 2023.
The measure was presented at a press conference by the Vice-President of the European Commission. Franchises do not speak of a reduction in electricity consumption, as the only general reduction and fewer hours of, “5% during peak times”.
In reaction, heard by the RenaissanceFrancisco Ferreira that many countries that the goal “is very ambitious” and like Portugal, “in domestic consumption per capita of the lowest” is difficult.
The professor of the environment at Universidade Nova de Lisboa that people will try to consider some containment, even because of the increase in costs due to inflation”, but explains that this may not be enough.
“The room for maneuver is very short. Lighting represents less than 2% of our consumption. It has weight, but it doesn’t go beyond that. Electrical equipment is another component where people can make an effort, but there is not much to do”, see.
The president of the environmental association is ideal for a target of 5% as something more viable for the Portuguese context, mentioning that other countries, with higher energy consumption, may have to reduce their consumption more, in compensation.
And it indicates that a more effective response can be made in the long term, with structural measures, not least because the European Commission’s proposal comes “in counter-cycle”.
“We have successively increased electricity consumption in Portugal”,
Noting that around 20% of the Portuguese live in poverty and believing that winter is “a decisive factor”, Francisco Ferreira believes that it is difficult to reach such a high goal, “when we have here a set of minimal needs like those needs in many guaranteed cases”.
And not that it can play like companies, the specialist may have a capacity for energy efficiency measures, but remember that there has already been a failure, precisely due to the considerable increase in the cost of energy.
“That way they would achieve a substantial reduction, but they didn’t have a moment for the other. They had to make investments and program them, to be able to combine such a significant reduction”, he points out.