Portugal has opened an international tender to build the Girabolhos dam on the Mondego river, a project Environment and Energy Minister Maria da Graça Carvalho called essential and strategic for the country. The concession, published in the Official Gazette, carries a 65-year term and requires a minimum capacity of 40 megawatts. Bidders have 270 days to submit proposals.
The project requires no public spending, relying on private investment estimated between €400 million and €500 million. While the timeline envisions completion by 2038, Carvalho challenged developers to shorten the schedule to as little as eight years. She acknowledged the state will not proceed if the tender receives no bids. Carvalho also conceded that the country lost roughly €300 million since an earlier version of the project by Endesa was abandoned.
Mayors from the five municipalities within the dam's footprint demanded compensations including road upgrades, water supply improvements, and environmental protections for the Mondego. Carvalho said a joint management commission and monitoring body would address those demands.