Figueira da Foz City Council and company disagree over suspension of PIN project
The municipality of Figueira da Foz announced today that the government will suspend monitoring of the project with Potential National Interest (PIN) for the installation of a biofuels unit in the city, but the company denied this intention.
In a statement released late this afternoon, the Chamber revealed that it was informed by the Permanent Investor Support Committee (CPAI), which is part of the Portuguese Agency for Investment and Foreign Trade (AICEP), “of the intention to immediately suspend monitoring of the application for recognition of Potential National Interest (PIN) of “Project 299 – BioAdvance”.
“CPAI took the decision following an inspection carried out at the industrial unit by CCRDC [Central Regional Coordination and Development Commission], which concluded that it can only operate when it is in possession of all the licenses required by law, a situation that is not the case”, the note states.
Speaking to Lusa, the owner of BioAdvance, Paulo Gaspar, said that the company took steps to ensure that the process was not suspended.
“Everything has been taken care of and we have already sent information to AICEP, so monitoring of the application will no longer be suspended,” he said.
According to the businessman, the company received the CPAI's communication suspending monitoring of the candidacy on February 6, with 10 working days to respond, and responded within the deadline.
“We have already sent information that the process is subject to licensing with the responsible entities, which had not happened, so the process was not suspended”, he reiterated.
The company BioAdvance, based in the municipality of Pombal, where it has a smaller unit, set up shop next to the liquid bulk terminal at the port of Figueira da Foz, after an application was approved for the “Business Innovation Incentive System – Green” and the project was recognised with PIN status.
Its installation resulted from a concession contract signed in August 2022 with the port administration, which issued the license permit in December of the same year.
BioAdvance, which invested approximately 27 million euros in the unit, intends to produce 20 thousand tons of biodiesel annually from used cooking oils, as well as four thousand tons of glycerin.
The single environmental licensing process for the Portuguese company's advanced fuels unit was open for public consultation between November 19 and December 16, 2024.
The BioAdvance situation led to an extraordinary municipal assembly in October for the Council to clarify the proceedings, after the president of the Vila Verde Parish Council stated that the unit was operating without a license and causing environmental pollution through unpleasant smells and odors.
In this session, the Vice President of the Chamber, Anabela Tabaçó, said that the company did not have a license to operate and that it was only carrying out tests on the equipment, while the process of obtaining the industrial license was underway.
The mayor explained that the municipality licensed the construction works, but that the usage license can only be issued once the industrial licensing process at the CCDRC, which began in 2023, is completed.
The Lusa agency also requested clarification from that entity, but it was not possible to obtain a reaction.
The municipality of Figueira da Foz announced today that the government will suspend monitoring of the project with Potential National Interest (PIN) for the installation of a biofuels unit in the city, but the company denied this intention.
In a statement released late this afternoon, the Chamber revealed that it was informed by the Permanent Investor Support Committee (CPAI), which is part of the Portuguese Agency for Investment and Foreign Trade (AICEP), “of the intention to immediately suspend monitoring of the application for recognition of Potential National Interest (PIN) of “Project 299 – BioAdvance”.
“CPAI took the decision following an inspection carried out at the industrial unit by CCRDC [Central Regional Coordination and Development Commission], which concluded that it can only operate when it is in possession of all the licenses required by law, a situation that is not the case”, the note states.
Speaking to Lusa, the owner of BioAdvance, Paulo Gaspar, said that the company took steps to ensure that the process was not suspended.
“Everything has been taken care of and we have already sent information to AICEP, so monitoring of the application will no longer be suspended,” he said.
According to the businessman, the company received the CPAI's communication suspending monitoring of the candidacy on February 6, with 10 working days to respond, and responded within the deadline.
“We have already sent information that the process is subject to licensing with the responsible entities, which had not happened, so the process was not suspended”, he reiterated.
The company BioAdvance, based in the municipality of Pombal, where it has a smaller unit, set up shop next to the liquid bulk terminal at the port of Figueira da Foz, after an application was approved for the “Business Innovation Incentive System – Green” and the project was recognised with PIN status.
Its installation resulted from a concession contract signed in August 2022 with the port administration, which issued the license permit in December of the same year.
BioAdvance, which invested approximately 27 million euros in the unit, intends to produce 20 thousand tons of biodiesel annually from used cooking oils, as well as four thousand tons of glycerin.
The single environmental licensing process for the Portuguese company's advanced fuels unit was open for public consultation between November 19 and December 16, 2024.
The BioAdvance situation led to an extraordinary municipal assembly in October for the Council to clarify the proceedings, after the president of the Vila Verde Parish Council stated that the unit was operating without a license and causing environmental pollution through unpleasant smells and odors.
In this session, the Vice President of the Chamber, Anabela Tabaçó, said that the company did not have a license to operate and that it was only carrying out tests on the equipment, while the process of obtaining the industrial license was underway.
The mayor explained that the municipality licensed the construction works, but that the usage license can only be issued once the industrial licensing process at the CCDRC, which began in 2023, is completed.
The Lusa agency also requested clarification from that entity, but it was not possible to obtain a reaction.
The municipality of Figueira da Foz announced today that the government will suspend monitoring of the project with Potential National Interest (PIN) for the installation of a biofuels unit in the city, but the company denied this intention.
In a statement released late this afternoon, the Chamber revealed that it was informed by the Permanent Investor Support Committee (CPAI), which is part of the Portuguese Agency for Investment and Foreign Trade (AICEP), “of the intention to immediately suspend monitoring of the application for recognition of Potential National Interest (PIN) of “Project 299 – BioAdvance”.
“CPAI took the decision following an inspection carried out at the industrial unit by CCRDC [Central Regional Coordination and Development Commission], which concluded that it can only operate when it is in possession of all the licenses required by law, a situation that is not the case”, the note states.
Speaking to Lusa, the owner of BioAdvance, Paulo Gaspar, said that the company took steps to ensure that the process was not suspended.
“Everything has been taken care of and we have already sent information to AICEP, so monitoring of the application will no longer be suspended,” he said.
According to the businessman, the company received the CPAI's communication suspending monitoring of the candidacy on February 6, with 10 working days to respond, and responded within the deadline.
“We have already sent information that the process is subject to licensing with the responsible entities, which had not happened, so the process was not suspended”, he reiterated.
The company BioAdvance, based in the municipality of Pombal, where it has a smaller unit, set up shop next to the liquid bulk terminal at the port of Figueira da Foz, after an application was approved for the “Business Innovation Incentive System – Green” and the project was recognised with PIN status.
Its installation resulted from a concession contract signed in August 2022 with the port administration, which issued the license permit in December of the same year.
BioAdvance, which invested approximately 27 million euros in the unit, intends to produce 20 thousand tons of biodiesel annually from used cooking oils, as well as four thousand tons of glycerin.
The single environmental licensing process for the Portuguese company's advanced fuels unit was open for public consultation between November 19 and December 16, 2024.
The BioAdvance situation led to an extraordinary municipal assembly in October for the Council to clarify the proceedings, after the president of the Vila Verde Parish Council stated that the unit was operating without a license and causing environmental pollution through unpleasant smells and odors.
In this session, the Vice President of the Chamber, Anabela Tabaçó, said that the company did not have a license to operate and that it was only carrying out tests on the equipment, while the process of obtaining the industrial license was underway.
The mayor explained that the municipality licensed the construction works, but that the usage license can only be issued once the industrial licensing process at the CCDRC, which began in 2023, is completed.
The Lusa agency also requested clarification from that entity, but it was not possible to obtain a reaction.
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