RELOP Plays a Prominent Role at the 2nd CPLP Energy Conference in Estoril
The Association had a high-level presence with presidents and board members from seven member entities.
The 2nd CPLP Energy Conference took place on May 27 and 28 at the Estoril Congress Center in Cascais. The RELOP delegation included its Vice President, José Branquinho, and its Executive Director, Artur Trindade, along with representatives from eight member entities of the Association, namely: ARENE, ARME, ANPG, ENSE, ERSE, INP, IRDP, and IRSEA, reinforcing their commitment to strengthening Lusophone cooperation in the energy sector.
The event brought together policymakers, regulators, business leaders, academics, and technical experts from the nine member countries of the Community of Portuguese Language Countries (CPLP), ten years after the first edition of the conference. Under the theme “Fostering a Resilient, Sustainable and Inclusive Energy Transition for the CPLP,” the event was held alongside the 3rd CPLP Energy Ministers Meeting, which ensured strong institutional engagement and featured ministerial and high-level sessions on the first day.
Several key messages were highlighted during the event regarding the future of the CPLP energy sector. These included the importance of a stable regulatory framework and strong technical expertise to attract investment; the call to move from intentions to concrete success stories; and the recognition of CPLP countries as a unified and strategic bloc in the international energy landscape.
The second day of the conference was dedicated to technical sessions that fostered knowledge exchange among experts from member countries. The discussions addressed topics such as the need to ensure universal access to energy that is useful, affordable, and clean; the importance of technical training and energy literacy; and the ongoing role of fossil fuels in enabling a just energy transition. The urgency of modernizing electrical systems to support the growth in electricity consumption and production was also emphasized. In this regard, particular concern was raised about new energy-intensive sectors such as data centers and artificial intelligence.
RELOP, which co-leads the CPLP Consultative Observers’ Energy and Climate Thematic Commission alongside the Lusophone Renewable Energy Association (ALER), was one of the conference organizers. Throughout the event, representatives from the association participated in several panels, sharing regulatory expertise and presenting the Association’s—and its members’—vision.
The occasion was also marked by the announcement of the winner of the 2025 edition of the Maria Cristina Portugal Award, an initiative promoted by RELOP to recognize and encourage best practices and innovation in energy regulation. Márcio Alcântara, from ANEEL, won the competition with the article “Towards Energy Sustainability: Integrated energy conservation with consumers through smart grids and regulatory reform.”
The 2nd CPLP Energy Conference was promoted by the Government of São Tomé and Príncipe, which currently holds the rotating presidency of the CPLP, and was organized by the CPLP Consultative Observers’ Thematic Committee on Energy and Climate, coordinated by ALER and RELOP. The event had the institutional support of the CPLP and the Portuguese Ministry of Environment and Energy, and was held in partnership with Portugal’s Energy Agency (ADENE) and the Municipality of Cascais.
