Renewable Energy Community: a new LIPOR initiative to valorise waste and share the produced electricity

It took place today, January 11, the presentation of the new Renewable Energy Community (REC) at the LIPOR Waste-to-Energy Plant.

The creation of this Community is an ambitious initiative promoted by LIPOR and its Associated Municipalities and with the support of other municipalities and institutions in the geographic proximity of LIPOR's area of activity. Its main objective is the production and sharing of electricity produced from waste at the LIPOR Waste-to-Energy Plant, presenting REC members environmental, economic and social benefits.

The creation of this Community will allow the decentralized production of clean, renewable energy, the reduction of energy bills without further investments, the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, the contribution to National and European commitments to decarbonization, the fulfillment of objectives and targets of participating municipalities and the alignment with the Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy.

Among the entities joining the Community, to date, are LIPOR itself; the Municipalities of Gondomar, Maia, Matosinhos, Porto, Póvoa de Varzim, Valongo, Vila do Conde, Trofa, Santo Tirso and Paredes; the Santa Casa da Misericórdia in Porto; the Espaço Municipal E.M. (Maia); APDL – Administration of the Ports of Douro, Leixões and Viana do Castelo S.A.; a Maiambiente E.M. (Maia); Matosinhos Habit E.M. (Matosinhos); Matosinhos Sport E.M. (Matosinhos); the House of Architecture (Matosinhos); Porto Waters and Energy E.M. (Porto); Porto Ambiente E.M. (Porto); the Domus Social E.M. (Porto); the Gestão e Obras of Porto E.M. (Porto); Ágora – Culture and Sports of Porto E.M. (Porto); the São João Hospital and University Center and the STCP (Porto).

As José Manuel Ribeiro, Chairman of the Board of Directors of LIPOR, said "Today, LIPOR takes an important step towards attaining its Corporate Strategy of changing – evolving it properly – our Business Model.”

For over 25 years, LIPOR has focused on the Circular Economy, seeking to produce a variety of products using resources that were previously directed to landfills. Among the projects that support this purpose are the transformation of bio-waste into "compost” for agriculture, materialized in products such as NUTRIMAIS, the use of plastics from "end-of-life plastic garden chairs and tables” for the production of a recycling bin – the Wallie  and others that are being developed and will soon be presented to the market.