The rules governing the security deposits (caução) to be provided by producers of renewable or low-carbon gases injecting into the public gas grid have been set out in Order No. 8030/2025, issued by the Portuguese Directorate of Energy (DGEG).
These rules follow the amendments to the Portuguese National Gas System legal framework, which now requires project developers to provide a financial deposit to the DGEG as a condition for connecting production facilities to the gas network. The aim is to ensure that developers remain committed to implementing their projects after securing grid capacity.
The newly published order defines both the form for the deposit and the reference values used to calculate the total amount to be deposited.
The deposit must be provided to the DGEG within 25 days of the approval of the producer’s prior registration (registo prévio), which is required to start the project development. It may be submitted as a bank deposit, bank guarantee, or surety bond, in accordance with the official forms annexed to the Order. Proof of the deposit must be uploaded to the DGEG’s online registration platform, with original documents submitted either by post or in person.
The amount of the deposit is calculated as 10% of the annual reserved capacity for the project, in MWh/year, based on the following formula:
Deposit = 10% × Reserved Capacity (MWh/year) × Reference Price (€/MWh)
The applicable reference prices are:
- €7.44/MWh for biomethane; and
- €22.00/MWh for renewable hydrogen
The deposit will be returned within five days of the registration of the project’s operational start date. However, if the prior registration expires due to a failure to begin operations within the legally required timeframe, or if it is cancelled under conditions set by law, the deposit will be forfeited to the DGEG.
Failure to provide the deposit within the relevant deadline results in the automatic rejection of the project’s prior registration.