Portugese landowners face fines as wildfire inspections begin
Landowners had until Sunday to clear undergrowth near properties, a deadline that was previously extended due to rainy weather. On the ground, GNR officers explained the specific regulations to property owners.
An officer from the GNR's Environmental Protection Unit in Coruche, Felizardo, pointed out an infraction: "In this case, the grass is a bit taller than the prescribed limits, and therefore, fuel management should have been carried out within 50 metres around your building to comply with the established regulations."
For some landowners, the wet weather that led to the extension created its own problems. A landowner was asked if she knew she had to clear the land.
"Yes, we do know, but sometimes things don't happen the way we want. It rained a lot. My son was supposed to plough the land before going to the fields, but the soil couldn't support the tractor's weight, and it got stuck, so he had to leave it like that."
Those who have failed to comply now face significant fines, which can reach up to €5,000 for individuals and €60,000 for companies. By the end of April, authorities had already identified over 10,000 potentially non-compliant properties.
Despite the threat of penalties, the GNR's commander in Coruche, Mateus, expressed that the immediate focus is on education rather than punishment.
"At this time, and despite being authorised by law to carry out inspections and issue fines, our approach is always focused on prevention," he said, adding that the ultimate objective is clear: "What we want is for the land to be cleared and for there to be fewer forest fires in 2025."
The urgency of the campaign has increased in significance due to an impending heatwave. All of the Portuguese mainland's districts are already under a yellow weather warning, with maximum temperatures forecast to fluctuate between 33 and 40 degrees Celsius over the next few days.
Once reliant on coal for the majority of its electricity, the country of 36 million that currently holds the EU rotating presidency is trying to reduce its dependence on the fossil fuel.
With many mines becoming unprofitable and old infrastructure in decline, the Polish government of Prime Minister Donald Tusk has planned a gradual closure of coal facilities in the south of the country. As the coal regions of the country come to terms with this shift, northern Poland adjacent to the Baltic Sea is booming.
Ignacy Niemczycki, the deputy minister in the Chancellery, briefed a handful of Brussels-based journalists on board the Jantar passenger ship, telling Euronews that the wind farm should have a lifecycle of up to 30 years and be a major part of the energy transition.
'It's in the interest of the Polish economy to invest in renewables, nuclear, and gas to stabilise the grid,' the minister told Euronews.
Situated 23 kilometres off the northern coast near Choczewo and Łeba, the wind farm is among the most advanced renewable energy projects in the Polish Economic Zone. The final installed capacity of the project is expected to reach 1140 MW, enough to supply electricity to approximately 1.5 million Polish households.
Renewables will only be one part of the Polish energy mix. Plans for the first ever nuclear plant, which will also be located on Poland's northern Baltic Sea coast, were put in place under the former Law and Justice (PiS) government and have been continued by Prime Minister Donald Tusk's current ruling coalition.
Niemczycki told Euronews that a second nuclear project is being considered and Poland is keeping a close eye on Canada as it experiments with the first ever mini nuclear plant, known as a Small Modular Reactor (SMR). SMRs could can potentially power up to 300 MW(e) per unit.
'We will see a major change in Poland's energy mix over the next 15 years,' said Niemczycki. 'Nuclear will become the new baseline, with renewables and gas providing flexibility and stability.'
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