Lisbon, Sept. 25, 2026 (Lusa) - The Energy Minister has explained that Portugal had been forced to send part of its strategic fuel reserves to France due to a lack of storage capacity in the country, following comments by the leader of the PS, who had questioned this operation.
At the end of Thursday's Cabinet meeting, Maria da Graça Carvalho said that the closure of the Matosinhos refinery in 2021 had reduced storage capacity for crude oil and fuels.
She therefore explained that Portugal had been «forced to send part of its reserves to France», adding that this amounted to less than a tenth of the total, and emphasised that this is a system «widely used in Europe».
«What the leader of the PS did today was an act of irresponsibility, both because of the falsity of his arguments and his failure to recognise the consequences of events» that took place during a PS government, she said.
José Luís Carneiro said he had received information «that the Portuguese State had mobilised part of its strategic energy reserves for France» and also that it is purchasing a type of crude oil «which cannot be used as an immediate fuel» as it «requires a type of refining» which he claims does not exist in Portugal.
«The closure of the Matosinhos refinery in 2021, during the PS government, reduced Portugal's crude oil and fuel storage capacity by around a third,» the minister noted, adding that «Galp informed ENSE [the National Energy Sector Authority] that it was unable to continue the fuel storage contract it had in Portugal».
«That is why Portugal was forced to send part of its reserves to France,» she emphasised, pointing out that Portugal has 132,000 tonnes of crude oil stored in France, but that this is owned by the Portuguese State and can be mobilised at any time by government decision.
«Portugal did not send fuel to supply France,» she assured, emphasising that the country «has fully guaranteed security of fuel supply», with reserves sufficient for around 92 days.
The minister also clarified that it takes «two to three weeks» to retrieve the fuel stored in France, noting that «reserves stored in Portugal are always used first».
She added that this situation «is temporary», noting that the Government had asked ENSE to «carry out a study» into possible locations and costs to increase capacity and ensure that everything is kept in Portugal.
This study identified a site and a cost of €60 million, to be implemented over four or five years, which the minister said was «perfectly manageable» for the system.
The minister also gave assurances that all crude oil in Portugal can be refined and revealed that the cost of storage in France is lower than in Portugal.
ALN/AYLS // AYLS
Lusa
