Decree-Law no. 79/2025, approved on 21 May, has amended the legal framework of the Portuguese National Gas System (Sistema Nacional de Gás – “SNG”), enacted by Decree-Law no. 62/2020 and Decree-Law no. 70/2022.
These new set of rules update the existing legal definitions of “natural gas” and “low-carbon gases”, and introduces new ones, including “low-carbon hydrogen” and “renewable hydrogen”, ensuring their integration into the SNG framework.
It also brings amendments to the licensing framework of activities under the SNG, notably:
- Requests, communications and notifications related to activities such as reception, storage, transmission, distribution, and commercialisation, among others, must now be submitted through the Single Digital Services Portal (Portal Único dos Serviços Digitais);
- The prior registration for renewable gas generation projects now includes:
(i) Payment of a registration fee by the applicant, due within 10 working days following the validation of the registration, under penalty of rejection;
(ii) Provision of a security deposit to the Portuguese Directorate for Energy and Geology (Direção Geral de Energia e Geologia – “DGEG”), applicable to projects involving grid injection upon approval of the prior registration request. The deposit must be equal to 10% of the project capacity (in €/MWh) and will be reimbursed upon the start of operations. The model and criteria of the deposit will be defined by order of the General Director of DGEG;
(iii) Expiry of the prior registration if the renewable gas generation facility does not begin operation within two years. This deadline may be extended two times, in one-year periods, by order of the General Director of DGEG;
- Holders of prior registration for gas production are now allowed to supply their production to any final consumer using either mobile (road, rail or vessel-based) or fixed (pipeline) equipment;
- The assessment of technical and financial capacity and suitability for obtaining a commercialisation registration must now meet criteria to be defined by DGEG.
New rules for the creation of dedicated networks for hydrogen and other renewable gases, are established, including a provisional entity responsible for their planning, development and management. This entity will be appointed by the Government following a market consultation, which has already been launched through Notice no. 30-A/2025, issued by the Office of the Secretary of State for Energy.
Finally, DGEG (the Portuguese entry ministerial department) ) has been appointed as the licensing authority for the renewable gas, natural gas and hydrogen markets; and ERSE the Portuguese energy NRA) has been appointed as the regulator for the renewable gas, natural gas and hydrogen markets, and as Portugal’s representative at the Agency for the Cooperation of Energy Regulators (ACER).
Decree-Law no. 79/2025 entered into force on 22 May 2025.