CONVENTIONAL ENERGY
The future of energy will be based on renewables, and more clients will seek suppliers that can offer diverse energy options.
How did the company enter the Portuguese market, and what were its most important milestones?
EMANUEL FREITAS OZ Energia's business is centered on the development, licensing, and centralization of bottled gas. Its main goal was to consolidate the current business and determine a set of variables when it comes to the autonomy of purchasing. We started a study to acquire other companies that would deliver this opportunity to us. We acquired a significant participation in the group in order to have two terminals and gain autonomy to import LPG, while simultaneously launching other activities to diversify our products. We are also working on changing our way of doing business and making an effort to digitize the company. Our goal is to consolidate our offerings and diversify into other areas.
NUNO RIBEIRO DA SILVA We came to Portugal with a proactive approach from our time in the Spanish market. Starting in 1995, when the Spanish electricity market began to liberalize, we were able to develop a great deal of relevant and valuable experience and then use that in Portugal. We knew how to deal with closed markets that were controlled by governmental administrators and learnt how to address the problems and adaptations inherent to a market entering a period of liberalization. The processes of change in terms of the liberalization of the energy sector in Portugal were different to those in Spain, and we therefore had to adapt accordingly. We started with generation and only began to see real opportunities in the electrical generation and natural gas spaces in the last eight years.
What measures is the company taking regarding an eco-friendly future?
EF We have looked at products beyond the sector that have taken these measures with the environment. We have a product that is green in its combustion though it is not well known. We also have a container project we sought to develop at a national level, which is a transition product and extremely important. We are focused on developing this consciousness in terms of social and community issues and developing products that are environmentally friendly.
NRDS Being sustainable requires mixing many different issues, parameters, and areas of focus. Mobility and movement represent 40% of overall energy consumption in Europe, and this is truly the last area defined by oil consumption. Being proactive in the change from internal combustion to electric vehicles is thus vital for our industry. The basic fuel for mobility is changing from oil products to electricity, and it represents a huge opportunity for the power subsector. Electrification will be the easiest and cheapest way to control emissions and combat climate change. Our first and main responsibility is to support the transition from oil-based mobility to electricity-based. We strive to be more proactive on this front, maximizing the impact of sustainability and ensuring a healthier planet.
What have been the main challenges in doing business in Portugal?
EF The biggest challenges are related to the entry of new players to the market. It is a market that is growing through electricity and natural gas, though our main challenge is anticipating the market in order to be able to do business. Our key focus is on creating tools to have greater proximity with the final customer. At this moment, this sets us apart. We have a distribution network that is different from our competitors, and this network is close to the final customer. We have always gained market share in comparison to our competitors, which is linked to the relationship we develop with the final customer. We are also investing significantly in online systems, as we were not that developed in this field. We started slightly behind and are investing in a new ERP, CRM, and others, especially to prepare ourselves for the future.
How does your experience in both the public and private sectors help you?
NRDS Having been in state government and international energy groups has given me an excellent vantage point to understand the value that diverse knowledge brings to the industry. While I am currently in the private sector, my previous time in government enabled me to understand the perspectives and concerns of the public sector, which is essential. Nearly every week I discuss developments with MPs, ministers, and civil servants. We engage many different types of stakeholders and NGOs, and as a result of my experience I can quickly and effectively recognize, respect, and address the vast array of different opinions and sensibilities that impact this industry.
CONVENTIONAL ENERGY
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Focus: Community of Portuguese Language Speaking Countries
Making an Impact
Established in 1996, the Community of Portuguese Language Speaking Countries (CPLP) is a mechanism geared at linking and sharing the experience of Lusophone countries. Besides Portugal, this includes Brazil, Portugal, Cape Verde, Angola, Mozambique, Guinea-Bissau, and São Tomé and Príncipe.
read articleFocus
Don’t Mind the Disruption
Having won the 2017 Eurovision Song Contest, Lisbon hosted the 2018 event. The relevance? Well, the contest began back in 1956 as a showcase not only of song, but of then-nascent live television broadcast technology. Today, Portugal is on the cutting edge of new technological developments.
read articleInterview
João Pedro Soeiro de Matos Fernandes , Minister , Environment and Energy Transition
The Ministry for the Environment and Energy Transition is focusing on decarbonizing the economy, valuing the territory and its habitats, and striving for a more circular use of the country's resources.
read articleInterview
António Braz Costa , General Manager, Portuguese Technological Centre for the Textile & Clothing Industries (CITEVE)
CITEVE has transformed the industry by promoting value addition, adopting the latest technologies, and ensuring the highest standards of environmental sustainability.
read articleFocus: New airport
Right Time to Seize Missed Opportunities
Portugal has seen its air traffic figures increase by as much as 80% in the last five years. As a result, its transportation infrastructure, and Lisbon's airport in particular, cannot cope with the rising numbers. A new airport project that will turn a military base into a commercial airport is now under discussion to bring much-needed relief to air traffic.
read articleInterview
Germano de Sousa , President, Grupo Germano de Sousa
Grupo Germano de Sousa's success can best be summed up by its understanding that science and medicine only really progress when technological development is combined with a deeper respect for human values and professional ethics.
read articleInterview
Isabel Capeloa Gil , Rector, Universidade Católica
Having pioneered the introduction of multiple subject areas to Portugal's tertiary education scene, Universidade Católica is aspiring to establish the country's first private medical school and introduce cutting-edge digital transformation.
read articleInterview
Carlos Guillén Gestoso , President, Escola Universitária de Ciências Empresariais, Saúde, Tecnologias e Engenharia & President, Atlantica University
Atlantica University differentiates through its company-university model and an MBA program in partnership with the University of California, Berkley, among other initiatives, to produce practical theoreticians.
read articleFocus: Public teaching staff
An Age-old Problem
Over a decade of austerity measures combined with an ageing population have seen the average age of the Portuguese public teaching staff progressively climb to one of the highest in the OECD. With frozen salaries, an extended retirement age, and precarious working conditions, today the sector faces one of its biggest challenge yet.
read articleInterview
Pedro Queiroz , General Manager, Federation of the Portuguese Agri-Food Industry (FIPA)
Portugal's economic recovery has seen its F&B sector emerge with annual turnovers of EUR16 billion, thanks to FIPA's undeterred focus on stable policies, excellent nutrition standards, and sustainability.
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