EDP expands ReEarth project to new territories in 2026
Following the positive results achieved in its first edition, EDP will expand the ReEarth project to new municipalities in Portugal this year. In addition to Boticas, the programme will now include the territories of Ponte da Barca and Arcos de Valdevez, two municipalities in Alto Minho (North of Portugal). The objective remains unchanged: to promote forest cleaning and protection by collecting biomass and reusing this waste to produce clean energy for municipal public utility infrastructures.
Launched in the municipality of Boticas in 2024, the project has already enabled the active management of around 260 hectares of forest, involving more than 150 small landowners and mobilising over 5,000 tonnes of biomass with energy potential for local energy production. This strengthens the link between forests, energy and communities, contributing to the resilience of these territories. These results represent a significant environmental impact, with independent assessments indicating a reduction of up to 75% in the potential severity of wildfires in the areas covered by the programme.
In addition to its environmental dimension, ReEarth also demonstrates a strong social impact. In 93% of supported cases, landowners had never previously received any support for forest management, and for most of them, the intervention was essential to enable the maintenance of their land. Satisfaction levels are very high, with 83% of beneficiaries awarding the project the highest rating.
The programme also contributes to generating income within local communities. Through the reactivation of pasture areas, landowners can generate up to an additional €540 per year, creating a new source of income that did not exist prior to the intervention, while promoting more sustainable land use.
How support is provided
The newly launched edition of ReEarth covers forest landowners in the designated territories, with participation ensured through local partner entities, Capolib in Boticas and Associação Florestal do Lima (AFL) in Ponte da Barca and Arcos de Valdevez, which are responsible for on-the-ground implementation and specialised technical support. Applications are open on a continuous basis until the total intervention area defined for each territory is reached.
The programme includes financial support for the implementation of interventions, tailored to the characteristics of each territory, as well as specialised technical monitoring, ensuring execution based on defined criteria and independent evaluation.
In practice, the programme focuses on land that has long been unmanaged, mobilising landowners towards the active enhancement of their plots, supported by specialised technical guidance. EDP ensures the project’s funding and strategic framework, working in coordination with local entities and with the technical and scientific support of CoLAB ForestWISE, responsible for the independent impact assessment.
The project is implemented in territories facing some of the main structural challenges of forest management in Portugal, such as fragmented land ownership, an ageing landowner population, and the lack of active land management. In a context marked by recurring wildfires, ReEarth also contributes to risk reduction through active land management, addressing one of its main root causes.
Following the results achieved in its first edition, the project is now entering a new phase, scaling up and consolidating itself as a replicable model for other geographies and for climate change adaptation, with environmental, social and economic impact on rural territories.
The programme is developed under EDP’s global social impact strategy, EDP Y.E.S. (You Empower Society), the Group’s global plan which foresees a total investment of €300 million by 2030 to support more than 500 social responsibility projects across various regions.