Pisão dam, a “great opportunity” for Alto Alentejo

Construction will be completed by the end of 2026.

A “great opportunity” for the Alto Alentejo, with the same importance for the region as the Alqueva project had for the districts of Évora and Beja. The construction of the Pisão Dam took a new step this Saturday (January 13) with the signing of the new financing contract for the Crato Multi-purpose Hydraulic Development (EAHFM).

At the ceremony, Prime Minister António Costa stressed that this is a decades-old project that is now moving forward. “I won’t hide the fact that of the 160,000 or so projects that are included in the Recovery and Resilience Plan [PRR], none has given us more headaches, none has required greater discussions, none has required greater efforts at compromise, none has required greater gymnastics than the Pisão Dam,” said the leader of the Executive, recalling that the first study on the dam dates back to 1957. “There are those who, when faced with challenges, give up, there are those who, when faced with problems, say ‘it’s best to stand aside’ and then there are those who like to solve problems and face challenges,” added António Costa, stressing that this new infrastructure is a “great opportunity” for the region, similar to what happened with Alqueva in the Lower Alentejo.

“It also took decades to discuss whether to build Alqueva, whether not to build Alqueva, Alqueva is going to have a terrible impact on the environment, they’re going to have difficulties because in order to build Alqueva they’re going to have to move people, relocate people. There have been decades of wasted opportunities and wealth that would have made the Alentejo as a whole a much more developed region if the Alqueva Dam had been built sooner,” recalled the Prime Minister.

With the updated reprogramming of the RRP, the project to build the Crato EAHFM, also known as the Pisão dam, has been reinforced by more than 20 million euros. The new infrastructure now has an allocation of 141.2 million euros, included in the RRP, as well as an increase of 10 million euros from the State Budget, for a total investment of over 200 million euros.

In addition to the dam, the project – managed by the Alto Alentejo Intermunicipal Community (CIMAA) – includes the construction of a 150 megawatt floating photovoltaic plant, as well as a mini hydroelectric plant and irrigation structure channels for agriculture and a public water supply system.

A historic demand of the region, the dam will guarantee a water supply for the populations of the municipalities of Alter do Chão, Avis, Crato, Fronteira, Gavião, Nisa, Ponte de Sor and Sousel, a total of around 55,000 people, and will make it possible to irrigate around 5,500 hectares.

Construction work will be completed by the end of 2026.