Portuguese authorities are planning to file a complaint with the European Commission against France, which Lisbon accuses of delaying the commissioning of cross-border energy interconnections. These delays, it is claimed, complicated the recovery of energy supply following the large-scale blackout that occurred at the end of April.
Portuguese Energy Minister Maria da Graça Carvalho shared this in an interview with the Financial Times. She stated that the lack of cross-border connections between France and Spain hinders the effective functioning of the European Union’s internal energy market. According to her, this gives the European Commission the authority to intervene.
She added that Portugal considers the issue to be part of the broader European energy market, which justifies applying pressure on France to accelerate the development of necessary infrastructure projects.
Spain, through which Portugal imports most of its electricity, has for years accused France of obstructing the development of new cross-border energy links. According to Madrid, Paris is trying to protect its nuclear energy sector from competition with cheaper Spanish solar and wind power.
