Portugal’s debut solar auction triggers bidding avalanche

Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Reddit
Email
The tender is part of Portugal’s plans to push PV capacity from 572MW (2018) to 8.1GW-9.9GW (2030) (Credit: Flickr / Contando Estrelas)

Portugal’s first-ever solar auction has sparked bidding volumes nine times the tender's size, the government has said as work begins to pick winners later this summer.  

Energy state secretary João Galamba took to social media this week to hail the 10GW worth of bids tabled for the 1.4GW PV tender, with 64 projects competing for 24 auction lots.

This article requires Premium SubscriptionBasic (FREE) Subscription

Unlock unlimited access for 12 whole months of distinctive global analysis

Photovoltaics International is now included.

  • Regular insight and analysis of the industry’s biggest developments
  • In-depth interviews with the industry’s leading figures
  • Unlimited digital access to the PV Tech Power journal catalogue
  • Unlimited digital access to the Photovoltaics International journal catalogue
  • Access to more than 1,000 technical papers
  • Discounts on Solar Media’s portfolio of events, in-person and virtual

Or continue reading this article for free

Describing the results as “very encouraging”, Galamba commented: “The conditions for strong competition in the auction are thus created, which is excellent news for electricity consumers.”

The 64 finalists are just a selection of the 300 the government said earlier this month had submitted interest in the tender, a deluge that forced to extend the bidding deadline by one week.

Speaking to local media, Environment minister João Pedro Matos Fernandes explained the selection of winners should wrap up by 10 August.

Bids, Matos said, will work downwards from a ceiling price of €45/MWh (US$50/MWh). The tabling of some 10 bids per lot creates expectations that final prices will be much lower, the minister added.

The tender is part of Portugal’s campaign for a solar boom, with plans to push installed PV capacity from 572MW (2018) up to 1.6GW (2021) and 8.1GW-9.9GW (2030).

As state secretary Galamba explained to PV Tech in March, the solar auction will be followed by a separate 50-100MW tender for energy storage, scheduled in principle for next year.

The PV tender, Galamba said at the time, will accept bids under two modalities – with and without a fixed price – to cater to embryonic projects but also mature, PPA-successful schemes.

The two-pronged design has so far drawn a mixed reaction, with some warning that allowing bids for grid capacity as the second modality will do could result in speculation.

See here for the official website for Portugal's renewable auctions

2 December 2025
Málaga, Spain
Understanding PV module supply to the European market in 2026. PV ModuleTech Europe 2025 is a two-day conference that tackles these challenges directly, with an agenda that addresses all aspects of module supplier selection; product availability, technology offerings, traceability of supply-chain, factory auditing, module testing and reliability, and company bankability.
10 March 2026
Frankfurt, Germany
The conference will gather the key stakeholders from PV manufacturing, equipment/materials, policy-making and strategy, capital equipment investment and all interested downstream channels and third-party entities. The goal is simple: to map out PV manufacturing out to 2030 and beyond.

Read Next

July 1, 2025
French private equity firm Ardian Clean Energy Evergreen Fund (ACEEF) has bought 117 solar PV plants, worth 116MW of total capacity in several locations in Italy.
Premium
June 30, 2025
Solargis CEO Marcel Suri explores three areas where new standards could help underpin greater efficiency, accuracy and market resilience.
June 30, 2025
Eni subsidiary Plentiude has started operations at the northern block of its 330MW Renopool solar portfolio in Spain.
June 27, 2025
Statkraft has signed PPAs with Better Energy to purchase energy from two solar power plants in Poland with a total capacity of 64GWh.
June 27, 2025
PV Tech spoke to Monika Paplaczyk about recent changes in the UK energy mix and opportunities for investors in the solar sector.
Premium
June 27, 2025
PV Talk: '2024 was a transformational year in terms of energy policy,' says Monika Paplaczyk ahead of this year's Clean Power 2030 Summits.

Subscribe to Newsletter

Upcoming Events

Solar Media Events
July 1, 2025
London, UK
Solar Media Events
July 1, 2025
London, UK
Media Partners, Solar Media Events
July 2, 2025
Bangkok, Thailand
Media Partners, Solar Media Events
September 2, 2025
Mexico City, Mexico
Solar Media Events
September 16, 2025
Athens, Greece