Castelo Branco, Portugal, Sept. 14, 2026 (Lusa) - The British multinational developing the Sophia solar photovoltaic power station has reduced the project's installed capacity by 34% in the revised proposal it is to submit to the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) authority by 2 October.
«With regard to installed capacity, there is a 34% reduction, from 867 megawatt peak to around 573 megawatt peak. Consequently, the fenced-off area of the project is reduced by 32%, and the number of fenced-off sections falls from 44 to 22, a 50% reduction», explained Lightsource BP in the information provided to the Lusa news agency.
The initial plan for the power station covered the municipalities of Fundão, Idanha-a-Nova and Penamacor, in the district of Castelo Branco, and had an installed capacity of 867 megawatts peak.
The area occupied by photovoltaic modules was 390 hectares – 435 hectares including all infrastructure – and the total fenced-off area was 1,734 hectares.
The new proposal, which the company will submit to the Portuguese Environment Agency (APA) for assessment, reduces the area occupied in the municipalities of Penamacor and Idanha-a-Nova whilst retaining, in the municipality of Fundão, the section of the line leading to the substation that connects the project to the electricity grid.
The new proposal also eliminates the four medium-voltage overhead line corridors envisaged in the initial configuration, and around 70% of the length of the proposed preferred route runs alongside existing lines in the area, «allowing this infrastructure to be concentrated in an established electricity corridor and, in this way, reducing the associated impacts».
«Around 70% of the area occupied by solar panels in the revised proposal corresponds to eucalyptus monoculture. Furthermore, the project now focuses entirely outside the area with potential for future irrigation, reducing its footprint from 222.1 hectares to zero hectares,» emphasised the developer.
The revised Sophia solar park project includes a shared benefits programme with a total investment of over €20 million, comprising 10 local initiatives designed to benefit the region.
This includes a collective self-consumption scheme, alongside measures to support households experiencing energy poverty, the promotion of energy literacy, training and employability, local social investment, support for fire prevention and firefighting, support for agricultural and pastoral activities, and the promotion of sustainable tourism in Beira Baixa.
According to Miguel Lobo, Managing Director of Lightsource BP in Portugal, «the solution now being put forward significantly reduces the scale of the project and alters its layout, seeking to address the concerns identified throughout the process».
Miguel Lobo also emphasised that the feedback received during the public consultation, the meetings and sessions with the local community, and the opinions of the relevant authorities «have enabled us to refine the plans for the Sophia solar farm in greater detail, although the project is still at the preliminary study stage, some way off implementation, which is scheduled for 2029».
On the environmental front, the project reduces overlap with National Ecological Reserve areas by 99%, from 10.8 hectares to around 0.1 hectares.
The plan now fully protects 7.1 hectares of black oak stands and retains large cork oaks and holm oaks within the stands.
Regarding birdlife, the distance to the black vulture roost has increased from 290 metres to approximately 4.4 kilometres.
The developer of the Sophia solar photovoltaic power station has until 2 October to submit the revised project to the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) authority following the identification of «very significant negative impacts».
In February, the assessment committee coordinated by the APA confirmed to Lusa that the project presented «significant and very significant opportunities for improvement.» According to the EIA, these opportunities for improvement were particularly evident in relation to the landscape, soil and land use, spatial planning and socio-economic factors.
CCC/ADB // ADB.
Lusa
