Brussels, Jan. 29, 2026 (Lusa) - European Commissioner for Energy Dan Jørgensen describes Portugal as "a key country" for increasing energy interconnections with the rest of the European Union (EU), assuring that he is also in contact with France with a view to unblocking initiatives.
During his visit to Portugal at the end of this week, the commissioner says that "interconnections will also be part of the discussions" he will have.
"And, (...) yes, Portugal is certainly a key country in this area and the Iberian Peninsula, in connection with and through France, is clearly at the top of our agenda," said Dan Jørgensen, speaking to Lusa and other European media in Brussels on Thursday morning.
Before a visit to the country, which begins in Lisbon on Friday, the European Commissioner pointed out that this is "one of the topics" he will "discuss with the Portuguese Government" and is still "debating with the French minister and the French Government", at a time when the Iberian Peninsula is an energy island with little connectivity to the EU, particularly due to French opposition to further interconnections.
Last December, the European Commission chose, as future “energy highways” that will receive EU support, electrical interconnections from the Pyrenees to the Iberian Peninsula and a hydrogen corridor from Portugal to Germany.
"The need to better connect Europe [...] is something we are also addressing through our eight “Energy Highways”. We are therefore very committed to moving forward with these eight energy highways and, of course, the connection to the Iberian Peninsula is one of them," said Dan Jørgensen.
Energy interconnectors reinforce the security of the electricity system by facilitating the exchange of electricity between countries, which stabilises networks, includes more renewable sources (such as wind and solar) and reduces dependence on fossil fuels.
"When it comes to security, we usually focus on weapons, which is obviously also important, but there is no security without energy security, and this means that we need to step up our efforts," the European Commissioner added.
The European Commission shares Portugal's view on the need to build more energy interconnections in the EU, particularly between the Iberian Peninsula and the rest of the bloc, and is seeking dialogue with France.
The blackout in the Iberian Peninsula in April last year highlighted the need to increase the resilience of the EU's energy network, at a time when the Iberian Peninsula has less than 3% connectivity with the rest of the Union.
The Portuguese government has been advocating an increase in Portugal's energy interconnection with the rest of the EU to 15% by 2030, through the construction of more interconnections.
The EU has set a target of at least 15% interconnection by 2030.
The strengthening of energy interconnections between Portugal and Spain and the EU has been under discussion for several years, but due to France's scepticism, this has never fully progressed, despite its importance in increasing energy security, reducing dependence on fossil fuels, lowering costs and facilitating the transition to renewable energies.
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