Sources: aicep Portugal Global

Belgium, Austria and Sweden are the other three European countries that already made coal history.

The move comes nine years before Portugal’s targeted end of the use of fossil fuel by 2030. “Portugal is the perfect example of how once a country commits to quitting coal, the pace of the phase-out inevitably accelerates. The benefits of transitioning to renewables are so great, once started, it only makes sense to get out of coal as fast as possible.” said Kathrin Gutmann, campaign director at Europe Beyond Coal.

Portugal has no coal, oil, or gas production and has invested in green energy in recent decades. The country’s shift away from coal began when it signed a phase-out declaration at COP23 (2017) in Bonn, Germany, and the plant closure happened five years ahead of the original schedule.