Unveiled in the presence of Prime Minister Luís Montenegro, Minister of Environment and Energy Maria da Graça Carvalho, and Secretary of State Silvério Regalado, REPower represents a structural transformation for Bondalti’s chemical operations toward a low-carbon, highly self-sufficient manufacturing model.
Comprising five core technical sub-projects, REPower systematically upgrades the energy and chemical infrastructure of the Estarreja industrial facility.
Five Pillar Infrastructure Transformation
Conversion of Brine Electrolysis: Supported by a €41 million investment, legacy cell technology was replaced with nine state-of-the-art electrolyzers, yielding significant efficiency and operational robustness gains.
Self-Consumption Photovoltaic Solar Farms: Deployed by Greenvolt and Voltalia across 30 hectares, two solar farms featuring 30 MWp installed capacity supply 17% of the chlor-alkali plant’s annual power. This raises total renewable energy usage across the Estarreja complex to 44%.
Industrial-Scale Battery Energy Storage System (BESS): Implemented by EDP, a modular 12 MW / 12 MWh electricity storage system was deployed—marking Portugal's first industrial-scale battery installation. It captures surplus solar generation to enhance operational grid flexibility.
Electrical Substation Modernization: Backed by an 8-million-euro commitment, the site’s electrical infrastructure and substation were expanded to support high-capacity renewable power reception and storage integration.
Electrification via Electric Boilers: Electric boilers now displace natural gas in steam production under normal conditions using approximately 35 GWh/year of renewable electricity, reducing Scope 1 emissions and hedging against volatile fossil fuel markets.
Industrial Competitiveness and 2035 Climate Ambitions
Building on REPower’s completion, Bondalti has committed to a short-to-medium-term target of reducing Scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions by 63% by 2035, using 2023 as a baseline.
João de Mello, President of Bondalti:
REPower demonstrates that industrial transformation is possible. But it is urgent to accelerate this process, creating the conditions for the industry to continue to invest, decarbonise and compete. Because we need an environmental policy that reduces emissions, but not the industry.
David Lopes, COO of Bondalti:
The REPower Chemicals project has profoundly transformed Bondalti’s infrastructure... The result is a more efficient, more reliable and more self-sufficient operation, and concrete proof of Bondalti’s commitment to sustainability.
