Power networks/Portugal

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High-voltage power lines in Open Infrastructure Map.

This page describes the electrical power network of Portugal (Q45), including the archipelagos of the Azores (Q25263) and Madeira (Q26253). It also provides guidance on how to map the network accurately in OSM.

The information presented here applies specifically to the mainland Portuguese transmission and distribution grid. While the power systems of the Azores and Madeira differ in certain structural and operational aspects, they follow the same fundamental principles. It should be noted that the two archipelagos operate independent power networks, managed by separate entities, and are not electrically interconnected with continental Portugal.

Organization

The electricity system in continental Portugal is managed in a single-operator/monopoly regime, as a result of forcible nationalizations and mergers in the period of 1974-1976. Until 1994, the only power network operator, also operating the majority of power production capacity, was EDP - Eletricidade de Portugal, in a vertically integrated monopoly. The most relevant change since was that the ownership and operation of the transmission grid was first placed under REN - Redes Energéticas Nacionais with complete ownership of EDP, with REN leaving the sphere of influence of EDP after being privatized in 2000.

Grid operators

In Continental Portugal, the larger operators are:

  • REN (Q1862842), very-high voltage (150-400kV) transmission grid.
  • E-REDES (Q111843687), high voltage (60kV) sub-transmission grid, medium voltage (10-30kV) distribution grid, and the majority of low voltage (400V triphasic, 230V monophasic) distribution grid.

In the Azores and Madeira, there is no true very-high voltage transmission grid, owed to the small size of the archipelagos that doesn't require long-distance electricity transmission.

In the Azores, the high voltage (30-60kV) transmission grid, the medium voltage (10-30kV, with a small part at 6kV) distribution grid, and the low voltage (400V) distribution grid, are operated by EDA - Eletricidade dos Açores (Q131463417). Every island has an isolated power grid system, so EDA assigns different roles (transmission vs. distribution) to the same voltage levels depending on the specific needs of each island[1].

In Madeira, the high voltage (30-60kV) transmission, the medium voltage (6.6kV) distribution grid, and the low voltage (400V) distribution grid, are operated by EEM - Empresa de Eletricidade da Madeira[2]. (Q138337537). The two islands with electricity (Madeira and Porto Santo) have isolated power grids. In Madeira, the 30kV voltage level is mostly used in transmission, although 2.6% of medium/low voltage substations are fed at 30kV[2].

Operator Network Website Wikipedia Operating area Label Taginfo
REN

Q1862842

Transmission https://www.ren.pt/ Redes Energéticas Nacionais on Wikipedia Continental Portugal operator=REN

operator:official_name=Redes Energéticas Nacionais

operator:wikidata=Q1862842

E-REDES

Q111843687

Subtransmission

Distribution

https://www.e-redes.pt/ EDP on Wikipedia Continental Portugal operator=E-REDES

operator:wikidata=Q111843687

EDA

Q131463417

Transmission

Distribution

https://www.eda.pt/ Azores operator=EDA

operator:official_name=Eletricidade dos Açores

operator:wikidata=Q131463417

EEM

Q138337537

Transmission

Distribution

https://www.eem.pt/ Madeira operator=EEM

operator:official_name=Empresa de Eletricidade da Madeira

operator:wikidata=Q138337537

Some parts of the low voltage distribution grid and medium/low voltage substations are managed by smaller operators[3], most of which are cooperative companies (co-owned by retail customers), or public companies owned by smaller administrative divisions. These operators typically operate within a single municipality (município) or civil parish (freguesia).

  • A Celer - Cooperativa Eletrificação de Rebordosa, C.R.L.
  • A Eléctrica de Moreira de Cónegos, C.R.L.
  • Casa do Povo de Valongo do Vouga
  • CEL - Cooperativa Eléctrica do Loureiro, C.R.L.
  • CEVE - Cooperativa Eléctrica de Vale D’Este, C.R.L.
  • Cooperativa Eléctrica de Vilarinho, C.R.L.
  • CESSN - Cooperativa Eléctrica S. Simão de Novais, C.R.L.
  • Cooperativa de Eletrificação A Lord, C.R.L.
  • Cooproriz - Cooperativa de Abastecimento de Energia Eléctrica, C.R.
  • Junta de Freguesia de Cortes do Meio

Laws on data

Operators of transmission and distribution networks in the high-voltage (45-110kV) and medium-voltage (1-45kV) ranges in Continental Portugal, Azores and Madeira are legally obligated[4] to make available to market agents and other interested parties technical information that allows them to know the networks' characteristics. This information must include:

  1. Geographical location of power lines and substations, and the geographical area served by the substations;
  2. The main characteristics of the network, of power lines and substations, as well as their variations according to the season of the year;
  3. For substations' medium, high and very-high voltage busbars, their triphasic symmetric short circuit, maximum and minimum powers;
  4. The type of grounding;
  5. Maximum and minimum power transit values in lines, and substations' loading powers;
  6. Information on available capacity of networks;
  7. Identification and reason for the main restrictions of networks' capacities;
  8. Quantitative and qualitative information regarding service continuity and voltage waveform quality.

Moreover, this information must be publicly accessible via the Internet, and published yearly.

This information must be provided yearly by network operators to ERSE (Entidade Reguladora dos Serviços Energéticos - Regulatory Body for Energy Services) by March 15th of each year, reporting to the status of the network on December 31st of the previous year. So most network operators also publish their network characteristics reports in their websites on March 15th, although there is not a fixed limit on when network operators may make those documents publicly available; particularly, E-REDES tends to delay their reports' publishing, sometimes up to 6 months.

Here is a list of the companies that must publish their yearly network characteristics reports, since they are legally recognized as the only operators of medium, high and very-high voltage power grids, as well as the corresponding URLs where their reports are customarily published:

This means that power grid information in Portugal is relatively high quality, readily accessible and up-to-date. E-REDES goes even further than just publishing reports in PDF format, and has its own Open Data Portal where it publishes information about its power networks in API and geo-referenced dataset formats (although some datasets are not frequently updated). See more in Power Networks/Portugal#Data sources

State of the map

Network

Mapping of power grid in Portugal between 2015 and 2026

As of 2026-04-23, the state of the mapped power grid in Portugal is as follows:

Voltage Expected Mapped
Lines Transmission network 400 kV 3,465.2 km[5] 3,508.4 km[6] (100%)
220 kV 3,916.1 km[5] 3,952.6 km[7] (100%)
150 kV 2,513.9 km[5] 2,739.4 km[8] (100%)
130 kV 38.2 km[9] 38.1 km[10] (100%)
Subtransmission network 60 kV 9,742 km[11] 9,604 km[12] (99%)
Distribution network Regional 6–30 kV (aerial) 60,015 km[11] 51,097 km[13] (85%)
6–30 kV (underground) 15,838 km[11] 364 km[14] (0.7%)
Local 400 V (aerial) 116,859 km[15] 22.5 km[16] (0.02%)
400 V (underground) 35,259 km[15] 0 km[17] (0%)
Substations Regional Distribution High-to-Medium 437[9][11] 433[18] (99%)
Local Distribution Medium-to-Low 72,427[15][19] 6,249[20] (9%)
  • Very-high voltage power lines (operated by REN) are all mapped, and are updated as needed based on users' information about new line construction, and cross-checked every year against the operator-published Electric Network Description report.
  • High voltage power lines (E-REDES, 60kV) are all mapped within the limits of what's possible and reasonable, based on users' information about new line construction, and cross-checked every year against the operator-published network characteristics report. The reports published by E-REDES have a lower standard of quality than those published by REN, so some of the lines listed in their reports are no longer operating.
  • Medium voltage power lines (E-REDES, 10-30kV) aerial mapping coverage varies a lot by region, here is a summary of mapping coverage estimates per district:
    • Faro: 100%
    • Beja: 100%
    • Évora: 100%
    • Portalegre: 100%
    • Castelo Branco: 100%
    • Guarda: 100%
    • Lisboa: 100%
    • Santarém: 100%
    • Leiria: 100%
    • Coimbra: 100%
    • Viana do Castelo: 90%
    • Braga: 75%
    • Aveiro: 66%
    • Porto: 66%
    • Vila Real: 40%
    • Viseu: 40%
    • Bragança: 33%

State of the map in Continental Portugal

Power transmission network in Portugal (150-400kV), operated by REN.
Power subtransmission network in Portugal (60kV), operated by E-REDES.
Power distribution network in Portugal (10-30kV), operated by E-REDES.

State of the map in the Azores and Madeira

Power network in the Azores, operated by EDA.
Power network in Madeira, operated by EEM.

Even districts with 100% mapping are liable to have some minor power lines not mapped yet.

Electricity generation

Power plants in Portugal. Solar: yellow; wind: green; hydro: blue; gas: red; biogas: light green; biomass: brown; waste: gray; oil: white.

The total installed power generation capacity in Portugal is 22.7 GW as of 2026-02-25 (calculated by removing sub-windfarms and only counting the parent windfarms once). The primary energy sources in Portugal are (with percentages corresponding to power production rating, not actual production)[21]:

  1. Hydroelectric: 32.6%
  2. Wind: 26.2%
  3. Solar: 21.7%
  4. Gas: 16.5%
  5. Other: 3%

Hydro and wind power production is concentrated in northern and central Portugal, given the greater altitudes, elevation differences and annual rainfall, whereas solar power production is most common in southern Portugal due to flatter terrain and greater sun exposure.

Project highlights

International Douro Hydropower Cascade

The International Douro, also known as Saltos do Douro (lit. Douro Jumps) is the 122 km part of the Douro river that runs along the Portugal-Spain border, between node Salto de Castro and node Barca d'Alva, and it is a region where the Douro river eroded deep rocky valleys, funneling significant rainfall through an area providing good dam anchoring and large heads (total fall height of 429.5 m), with very high hydroelectric potential. The dams were built between 1946 and 1964, after an agreement between Spain and Portugal in 1927 to split the hydroelectric potential of this stretch. Because of the deep valleys, these dams do not have much storage capacity, but they provide a large amount of hydropower (installed capacity 3.2 GW), particularly during floods when the hydroelectric power plants run almost all incoming water flow through turbines. On the Portuguese side, all of the dams and power plants of the International Douro Hydropower Cascade are owned and operated by Movhera. The system is composed of the following elements, from upstream to downstream:

Cávado-Rabagão-Homem Hydroelectric System

The Cávado-Rabagão-Homem Hydroelectric System is a hydroelectric system operated by EDP in the relation Cávado River basin, including its major tributaries, the Rabagão River on the left and the relation Homem River on the right. It was kickstarted by the 1945 concession of construction rights to Hidroeléctrica do Cávado (Cávado Hydroelectric), and this first stage lasted between 1946-1964, with the Venda Nova (1951), Salamonde (1953), Caniçada (1955), Paradela (1958) and Upper Rabagão & Cávado Dams (1964); later Hidroeléctrica do Cávado was merged into the Companhia Portuguesa de Eletricidade (Portuguese Electricity Company) in 1969, and the last dam of the system was built, Vilarinho das Furnas (1972). The final stage in 2005-2017, now under EDP, consisted of power production increases through new power plants Frades I (2005) & II (2017) and Salamonde II (2016), served by the existing dams.

The system is composed of the following elements:

  • Upper Rabagão (relation 2449098): Rabagão.
    • Upper Rabagão Hydroelectric Power Plant relation 18745193 (1964): 66 MW reversible, 973 GWh storage.
  • Venda Nova Dam (relation 18456918): Rabagão, 125 GWh storage.
    • Venda Nova Hydroelectric Power Plant area 1427805693 (1951): 88 MW, discharges to Salamonde Dam.
    • Frades I Hydroelectric Power Plant area 455366572 (2005): 191.4 MW reversible, discharges to Salamonde Dam.
    • Frades II Hydroelectric Power Plant area 455366583 (2017): 736 MW reversible, discharges to Salamonde Dam.
  • Vilarinho das Furnas Dam (relation 16375240): Homem, discharges to Homem that meets with Cávado in Amares, a long distance after Caniçada.
    • Vilarinho das Furnas Hydroelectric Power Plant area 805803314 (1972): 125 MW reversible, discharges to Caniçada Dam.
  • Upper Cávado Dam (relation 18456918): Cávado, does not have hydropower capabilities but has an interbasin transfer conduit to Upper Rabagão Dam.
  • Paradela Dam (relation 15342602): Cávado.
    • Paradela Hydroelectric Power Plant area 1427805692 (1956): 56 MW, discharges to Salamonde Dam. It is housed in the same building as Venda Nova Hydroelectric Power Plant.
  • Salamonde Dam (relation 18913985): Cávado, receives waterflow from Rabagão.
    • Salamonde I Hydroelectric Power Plant area 1426280013 (1953): 41 MW, discharges to Caniçada Dam.
    • Salamonde II Hydroelectric Power Plant area 1426280012 (2016): 222.7 MW reversible, discharges to Caniçada Dam.
  • Caniçada Dam (relation 2441815): Cávado, receives waterflow from Homem.
    • Caniçada Hydroelectric Power Plant area 1227767799 (1954): 62 MW.
Tâmega Gigabattery

The Tâmega Gigabattery, also known as the Tâmega Hydroelectric Complex, is a large-scale project by Iberdrola to develop an integrated hydroelectric system that provides massive storage and pumping capabilities, with a total installed power production capacity of 1.43 GW[22] and a storage capacity of 42 GWh[23]. It was started in 2018 and the hydroelectric component was finished in 2024. The goal is to make an efficient use of hydroelectric potential of the upper relation Tâmega River, but most importantly to equip the Portuguese power grid with a massive pumped-storage system. It is composed of a cascade of dams and hydroelectric power plants with large heads and powerful reversible turbines, to store power when it is cheapest by pulling power from the grid to pump rainwater upstream, and produce power when it is most expensive using the same pumped rainwater. This concept has been expanded more recently to include hybridization with wind power, with the construction of the relation Tâmega Windfarm. It is composed of the following elements:

  • Alto Tâmega Hydroelectric Power Plant (area 1429372113): 160 MW production, 20 GWh storage. Its main role is water flow regulation of the relation Tâmega River for the rest of the system, so it does not have pumping capabilities.
  • Daivões Hydroelectric Power Plant (area 767834338): 118 MW production. Its dam in the relation Tâmega River impounds the lower reservoir of the pumped-storage system, the relation Daivões Reservoir.
  • Gouvães Hydroelectric Power Plant (area 768250326): 880 MW pumped-storage, 20 GWh storage. Its dam in the relation Torno River impounds the upper reservoir of the system, the relation Gouvães Reservoir. It is a massive underground hydropower plant, that also includes a 7.4 km underground pressurized water circuit connecting the upper and lower reservoirs to the plant.
  • Tâmega Windfarm (relation 19953863): 274 MW production.

Operators

Here is a list of the largest power producers in Portugal.

Operator Total generation capacity (share %) Largest plants Note
EDP - Energias de Portugal 7,237.9 MW (31.8%) area Ribatejo Termoelectric (1,176 MW)

area Lares Combined Cycle (863 MW)

relation Frades II Hydroelectric (736 MW)

A leftover of the nationalization period, EDP still owns and operates most hydroelectric and termoelectric power plants.
Movhera 1,699.0 MW (7.5%) relation Picote II Hydroelectric (241 MW)

relation Bemposta I Hydroelectric (238 MW)

area Bemposta II Hydroelectric (203 MW)

A consortium partly owned by Engie. It owns six major dams in the upper Douro, and their corresponding power plants.
Iberdrola 1,605.0 MW (7.1%) area Gouvães Hydroelectric (880 MW)

relation Tâmega Windfarm (274 MW)

area Alto Tâmega Hydroelectric (160 MW)

area Daivões Hydroelectric (118 MW)

Spanish electrical utilities company. In Portugal, Iberdrola is mostly investing in its Tâmega Gigabattery project, a hydropower cascade with massive storage and pumping capabilities.
EDP Renováveis 1,397.4 MW (6.2%) relation Alto da Coutada Windfarm (165.6 MW)

relation Beiras Windfarm (100.8 MW)

relation Sincelo Windfarm (92.4 MW)

Renewables branch of EDP, mostly owns windfarms.
Finerge 1,379.2 MW (6.1%) relation Alto Minho I Windfarm (263.5 MW)

relation Alto Douro Windfarm (253.2 MW)

relation Douro Sul Windfarm (149.1 MW)

Mostly owns windfarms.
Energy Means Life 1225.4 MW (5.4%) area Tapada do Outeiro Combined Cycle (990 MW)

relation Terra Fria Windfarm (104 MW)

relation Mértola Windfarm (43.7 MW)

Portuguese company operating Tapada do Outeiro Combined Cycle Power Plant. Owned by Marubeni group. Results from the split of the joint venture TrustEnergy between Engie and Marubeni.
Engie 1,090.1 MW (4.8%) area Pego Termoelectric (837 MW)

relation Terras Altas de Fafe Windfarm (106 MW)

relation Prados Windfarm (39.1 MW)

French electricity utilities company, owns the Pego Termoelectric Power Plant.
Ventient Energy 902.7 MW (4.0%) relation Serra dos Candeeiros Windfarm (121 MW)

relation Pampilhosa da Serra Windfarm (114 MW)

relation Chão Falcão Windfarm (90.5 MW)

Mostly owns windfarms.
GreenVolt 705.0 MW (3.1%) relation Nisa Photovoltaic (705 MW)

relation Tábua Photovoltaic (48 MW)

area Celbi Mondego Biomass (45.8 MW)

Originally a subsidiary of EDP, it was acquired by the wood pulp conglomerate Altri in 2018. It was formally rebranded as GreenVolt in March 2021 to manage the biomass power plants operated by the conglomerate, but with a goal set on investing in other renewable power sources, after poaching former senior manager of EDP and CEO of EDP Renováveis, João Manso Neto.
TotalEnergies Renewables Portugal

(old Generg)

561.2 MW (2.5%) relation Pinhal Interior Windfarm (156.6 MW)

relation Gardunha Windfarm (135 MW)

relation Caramulo Windfarm (109.2 MW)

Previously Generg, mostly owns windfarms. It is owned by french Big Oil Total.

Network description

Voltages and frequency

Frequency : 50 Hz

Network Voltage Comments Appearance
Transmission 400 kV Very high voltage power lines, part of the National Transport Network. Operated by REN. REN identifies its power lines by power line sections, not by circuits, so each line and branch is individually listed; hence why all 150-400kV power=circuit relations always have power=line_section relations as members with role section, and never have power=line or similar as members with role section, so that power=line_sections may be listed in a similar format that REN uses in its annual network characteristics report.
220 kV
150 kV
130 kV Legacy voltage used in power lines that start in way Lindoso Hydro. Operated by REN. The only two lines using this voltage are Lindoso - Conchas (interconnection with Spain), which has been disassembled in 2025 on the Portuguese side, and Lindoso - Pedralva, with the Pedralva substation having a unique 130/150kV transformer to transform power into 150kV, which is one of the standard very high voltages used in Portugal.
Distribution 60 kV High voltage power lines, part of the National Distribution Network. Operated by E-REDES. These power lines do not serve customers directly; they may sometimes serve large-scale customers that need to draw or inject large amounts of power into the network.

Aside from that, they're mostly used by E-REDES to balance loads between its high/medium voltage substations without using REN's very high voltage network, and power lines are point-to-point, so it can be described as a subtransmission network.

Aerial: power lines, in groups of 3 cables, with very rare branching. It is fairly common for high voltage power lines to have 1 or 2 circuits. E-REDES identifies its power lines by power line sections, not by circuits, so each line and branch is individually listed; hence why all 60kV power=circuit relations always have power=line_section relations as members with role section, and never have power=line or similar as members with role section, so that power=line_sections may be listed in a similar format that E-REDES uses in its annual network characteristics report. Power towers: may either be concrete towers, or steel lattice towers. These power towers are commonly numbered sequentially (although sometimes power line supports may be numbered like 82, 83, 83A, 83B, 84, etc.) and also have the line reference inscribed in them (when a power tower supports two circuits, the two circuits' references are inscribed in different sides of the same support); the concrete poles have the numbers and line reference painted at eye-level, while steel lattice poles have a small steel plate attached above eye-level, typically together with a yellow triangular "risk of death" signal.

Distribution substations (high/medium voltage):

  • High/medium voltage transformers: most are outdoors, sometimes separated from each other by concrete walls about 2m tall. High-voltage power lines connect to these transformers through aerial power lines. the medium voltage terminals of high/medium voltage transformers are briefly overground, but almost immediately transition to underground; it is common for the medium voltage terminal of this type of transformer to be connected to a tiny medium voltage busbar (where there's a single medium voltage overground busbar for each transformer), but it also typically transitions to underground after that.
30 kV Medium voltage power lines, part of the National Distribution Network. Operated by E-REDES.

These power lines connect directly to small industries, or to minor substations.

Aerial: power lines, in groups of 3 cables, with often branching. Most medium voltage power lines only have one circuit, but occasionally power poles may support two circuits, one on each side of the pole. Power poles: may either be concrete poles with the shape of an H when seen vertically, or steel lattice poles. It is common for medium voltage power lines to transition from aerial to underground. Many of these poles are numbered sequentially with numbers painted at eye-level, typically up to 200 at most, and very rarely may also have the name of the medium voltage power line that the pole supports. Some poles have mechanical power switches, usually identified by a steel rod/mechanism running through the vertical extent of the pole, and a black rectangle painted in the pole at about eye-level with white letters; most switches are manually activated (usually start with "SEC" if they're a disconnector - seccionador and can only isolate non-energized circuits, or "INT SEC" if they're an load-break switch - interruptor/seccionador and can interrupt an energized circuit with nominal current values). Some switches may be remotely activated (always start with "OCR" because it's a remote switch - órgão de corte de rede), for these switches you can see a large white box containing the switching equipment on top of the pole, and sometimes see a radio antenna attached to the side of the pole.
H-profile concrete power pole supporting a medium-voltage power line.

power=pole material=concrete structure=solid line_attachment=anchor colour=red;white

H-profile concrete power pole supporting a medium/low voltage transformer, with a power switch.

power=pole material=concrete structure=solid line_attachment=anchor transformer=distribution switch=mechanical

Steel lattice power pole supporting a medium voltage power line.

power=pole material=steel structure=lattice line_attachment=anchor

H-profile concrete power pole supporting a medium voltage power line, with branch that transitions underground without a switch.

power=pole material=concrete structure=solid line_attachment=anchor location:transition=yes

H-profile concrete power pole supporting a medium voltage power line, with transition to underground and a switch.

power=pole material=concrete structure=solid line_attachment=anchor location:transition=yes switch=mechanical

Detail near the base of a pole, with pole referenced number painted in white over black background.

ref=1

Detail near the base of a pole, with pole referenced number painted in white over black background.

ref=1 switch:ref=SEC 03292 ALQ

In the power line:

ref=CL 3107 R 26

Distribution substations (high/medium voltage): most medium voltage power lines connect to distribution substations through poles with transition to underground. Most medium voltage power lines inside distribution substations are underground. In most distribution substations, medium-voltage switching equipment, busbars and auxiliary medium/low voltage transformers are located indoors. Some older substations may have the medium voltage power lines connected to portals, but these power lines typically transition to underground after connecting to the portal.

H-profile concrete power pole supporting a medium/low voltage transformer, with a power switch. power=pole material=concrete structure=solid line_attachment=anchor transformer=distribution switch=mechanical
Minor substations (medium/low voltage): there are two main types of medium/low voltage minor distribution substations/points.
  • Transformer towers, typically in rural settings or where the power grid is older. About 95% of the time, transformer towers are directly connected to medium voltage power lines with anchor attachments (although very rarely they can also be attached with pins); the other 5% of the time, transformer towers are served by underground power lines (you may sometimes find nearby a medium voltage power line pole that transitions underground).
  • Service buildings, typically in urban settings and modern (1975 and later) urban developments. You will often find nearby a medium voltage power line pole that transitions underground.
  • Pole with transformer.
15 kV
10 kV
6 kV Legacy medium voltage power lines. Operated by E-REDES, they are part of the National Distribution Network. Only exists in the cities of Portalegre and Castelo Branco[24]. Efforts are being undertaken to convert these power lines into 30 kV, to match the voltages used by E-REDES in more recent lines set up in low-population areas around these two cities[25].

90% of the 6kV distribution network is underground[24], since this voltage level is only used in the urban areas of the cities of Portalegre and Castelo Branco.

400 V Low voltage power lines/cables, part of the National Distribution Network. Operated for the most part by E-REDES. Aside from E-REDES, there are 10 other, municipality-level low voltage network operators as listed by ERSE[26], most of which are cooperative/municipal companies that historically predate E-REDES and its old equivalent EDP.

Aerial: typically copper cables insulated with plastic, supported by wooden poles with anchor attachments or street lights. Very rarely, and only in rural areas, they may appear as non-insulated power lines in groups of 3, vertically aligned, supported by wooden poles with pin attachments.

Underground: most of the low-voltage power grid is made of underground cables in towns and cities.

Distribution: made mostly through street cabinets, that do not house transformers.

These values are used for quality control in some OSM tools. If you change them, please also report it by creating an issue on GitHub. More information about country voltage QA.


There are other frequently used voltages, such as:

  • 25kV, in most of the train traction system.
  • 1.5kV DC, in the train traction system of the Cascais railway line.
  • 30kV, very common in internal power lines/cables of wind farms in Continental Portugal.
  • It is very common for power generators to generate power at non-standard voltages, usually in the range of 1-20kV, which are then stepped up by step-up/generator transformers before connecting to the distribution or transmission networks.

Interconnections

Neighbour country Structure name Technology Voltage Local end Foreign end OSM circuit Notes
Spain Alto Lindoso - Cartelle 50Hz AC 400kV area Alto Lindoso area Cartelle relation Alto Lindoso - Cartelle 1

relation Alto Lindoso - Cartelle 2

Double circuit interconnection.
Spain Lagoaça - Alveadávila 50Hz AC 400kV area Lagoaça area Aldeadávila II relation Lagoaça - Aldeadávila
Spain Falagueira - Cedillo 50Hz AC 400kV area Falagueira area Cedillo relation Falagueira - Cedillo
Spain Alqueva - Brovales 50Hz AC 400kV area Alqueva area Brovales relation Alqueva - Brovales
Spain Tavira - Puebla de Guzmán 50Hz AC 400kV area Tavira area Puebla de Guzmán relation Tavira - Puebla de Guzmán
Spain Pocinho - Aldeadávila 50Hz AC 220 kV area Pocinho area Aldeadávila II relation Pocinho - Aldeadávila 1

relation Pocinho - Aldeadávila 2

Double circuit interconnection.
Spain Pocinho - Saucelle 50Hz AC 220 kV area Pocinho relation Saucelle II relation Pocinho - Saucelle
Spain Alcáçova - Riocaya 50Hz AC 60kV area Alcáçova area Riocaya relation Alcáçova - Riocaya On the Portuguese side, this interconnection is operated at the nominal voltage of 60kV, but on the Spanish side it sometimes appears with the nominal voltage of 66kV[27]. It was decided to tag the circuit as 60kV, as the Portuguese side always uses 60kV nominal voltage, and in the case of Spain most documents mention 66kV but some also mention 60kV (example: [28]).

Planned projects

  • ...

Data sources

Publisher Source License Date Suitable for OSM Notes
REN National Transmission Grid characteristics for the purpose of network access - situation on 31 December 2024 (c) REN 31 December 2024 No PDF file. Contains a map of the transmission network in raster format (and the power lines' paths are simplified, so they only roughly follow their real paths). Identifies all the very-high voltage (150-400kV) power lines, including their length, type (number and type of conductors) and technical specs. Also identifies all very-high voltage (150-400kV) substations, including their condenser capacity. Also identifies all transformers in very-high voltage substations, including their reference number, type (regular transformer vs. auto-transformer, triphasic vs three monophasic devices, etc.), voltage levels, rating (in MVA) and start date.
E-REDES Available Hosting Capacity in the National Distribution Grid CC BY 4.0 Estimated 2023 Yes Power distribution network (10-30kV) in Continental Portugal. You can query the MT power lines served by each HV/MV substation, and get it in GeoJSON format. This dataset is only suitable to locate power lines outside substations; it also does not provide information on power switches nor minor distribution substations.
E-REDES Secondary Substations CC BY 4.0 31 Dec 2022 Yes List of georeferenced minor distribution substations (10-30kV to 400V) in Continental Portugal, with the minor substations' reference number. For each minor distribution substation, it identifies the type (pole with transformer, transformer tower, service building, etc.) and the total rating in kVA. You can query the API or export the dataset as CSV/JSON.
E-REDES Distribution networks characteristics on 31 December 2024 (c) E-REDES 31 December 2024 No PDF file. In addition to the datasets above by E-REDES, it contains a map with subtransmission power lines (60kV) in vector format that can be converted to .osm format, and a list of all subtransmission power line sections (60kV), including their length, type (number and type of conductors) and technical specs.
E-REDES Low-voltage distribution networks characteristics on 31 December 2024 (c) E-REDES 31 December 2024 No PDF file. As a complement to the Secondary Substations dataset, it also mentions the number of transformers in each minor substation.
E-REDES Low voltage poles CC BY 4.0 23 August 2023 Yes List of georeferenced power poles supporting low-voltage power cables/lines, that have been deemed suitable to also support telecommunications cables. This is meant as a way for E-REDES to tell telecom operators which power poles they may use to support telecom cables, so this is not an extensive list of low voltage power poles.

Electricity generation

Mapping process and community

Data

The following datasets are provided under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) open license. You are allowed to use and include them in OSM as long as you add the following tags to each derived element:

Dataset abbreviations:

  • AT - High and very high voltage network (60–400 kV).
  • MT - Medium voltage network (6–30 kV).
  • BT - Low voltage network (400 V).
Dataset Name Provider Date Format Description
AT RNT Characterization in 2024[29][30] REN 2025-03-31 PDF The full name of the PDF document is Characterization of the National Transmission Network (RNT) for purposes of Network Access and provides with technical information on the characteristics of the networks. These include...

Tags to use:

Technical Data for 2024[31][32] REN 2025-04-14 PDF Provides electricity and gas information. These include...

Tags to use:

MT Characterization of the Distribution Network in 2022[33][34] E-REDES 2023-03-31 PDF Caracterização das redes de distribuição (2022). In Anexo 2 you can find the location and voltage of the AT e MT lines, of the AT/MT e MT/MT substations operated by E-REDES. In Anexo 3 there is a list of substations and postos de corte operated by E-REDES. In Anexo 4 there is a list of AT lines operated by E-REDES, with references, name, type of conducting cable and lengths. In Anexo 6 there is a list of substation, including the municipality it belongs to.

Tags to use:

Network Features in 2024[35] E-REDES 2025-10-30 CSV, JSON, Excel, Parquet Características da rede. Main characteristics of the distribution substation network, including their name, location, transformation ratio, installed power, short-circuit powers and other relevant parameters for equipment sizing. An online slippymap is available here.

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Reception Capacity in the National Distribution Network in 2024 [36] E-REDES 2025-12-27 CSV, JSON, Excel, Parquet Capacidade de receção na Rede Nacional de Distribuição. Information and geographic location (not georeferenced) of the AT/MT substations operated by E-REDES, with area of influence of MT lines for each. An online slippymap is available here. Shows the estimated capacity for receiving generation power for the high and medium voltage busbars.

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Secondary Substations in 2026[37] E-REDES 2026-03-06 CSV, JSON, Excel, GeoJSON, Shapefile, KML, FlatGeobuf, GPX, Parquet Postos de transformação distribuição. Geographic location (georeferenced) of MT/BT minor distribution substations, with information on installed power and utilization percentage. An online slippymap is available here.

Tags to use:

BT Low Voltage Poles in 2023[38] E-REDES 2023-08-23 CSV, JSON, Excel, GeoJSON, Shapefile, KML, FlatGeobuf, GPX, Parquet Apoios de baixa tensão . Geographic location (georeferenced) of the poles supporting the overhead BT cable network. An online slippymap is available here.

Tags to use:

Towers and Poles

Picture Value Description Occurrence Comments
design=delta Two insulators on two sides of the pole, and one insulator on the top of the pole. 46.8%
design=one-level Single cross-arm, usually supporting only one circuit. 25.0%
design=three-level Three cross-arms, usually supporting one to three circuits. 12.4%
design=triangle Two insulators are mounted on the uppermost and lowermost cross-arms and at the pole's front side, and one insulator is mounted on the middle cross-arm and at the back side of a pole. 10.7%
design=barrel Similar to design=three-level, but the middle level cross-arms are longer than the upper and lower cross-arms, giving the conductor arrangement a barrel-like shape. 4.3%
design=armless_triangle Similar to design=triangle, but with insulators mounted on the pole instead on the cross-arm. Two insulators are placed on one side of the pole, and one insulator is placed on the other side 0.3%
design=two_level Two cross-arms, usually supporting two circuits. 0.3%

Mapping success stories

TODO : Success stories are designed to highlight important contributions. Have you significantly improved the cartography of a country (added a new line, a power station, etc.)? Don't be shy, let us know below.

  • Example : NAME [DATE YYYY-MM-DD]: My success stories in words.

Encountered problems and places to improve

  • ....

Use of mapping strategies

TODO : Mapping strategies refer to Power networks/Guidelines#Mapping strategies. They are used for a methodical improvement of the OSM database. Once you have fully applied a strategy in this country, you should add or update your name, the date, the strategy, and a comment below. This way, other users can see whether it is worthwhile to carry out further investigations.

  • Example : Search for "Unfinished major power lines" - last time applied by XXX [2025-MM-DD]
  • .... - last time applied by XXX [2025-MM-DD]

References

  1. ↑ https://files.eda.pt/edasharepointfiles/Biblioteca%20Internet%20EDA/Regula%C3%A7%C3%A3o/Regulamentos/Regulamento%20de%20Acesso%20%C3%A0s%20Redes%20e%20Interliga%C3%A7%C3%B5es/Componentes/CARE%202023.pdf
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 https://www.erse.pt/media/cuskjng5/pdirtd-ram-2022-2024.pdf
  3. ↑ https://www.erse.pt/eletricidade/funcionamento/distribuicao/
  4. ↑ ERSE (2023, 27 de julho). Regulamento do Acesso às Redes e às Interligações do Setor Elétrico (RARI) [Regulamento nº 818/2023]. https://www.erse.pt/media/1s3htdaa/rari_reg818_2023.pdf
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 https://mercado.ren.pt/PT/Electr/AcessoRedes/AcessoRNT/CaractRNT/BibRelAno/Caracteriza%C3%A7%C3%A3o%20da%20RNT%2031-12-2025.pdf
  6. ↑ area["ISO3166-1"="PT"][admin_level=2]->.boundaryarea; (   way(area.boundaryarea)[power=line][!line][disused!=yes][operator="REN"][voltage~400000];   way(area.boundaryarea)[power=cable][!line][disused!=yes][operator="REN"][voltage~400000]; ); (._;>;); out meta;
  7. ↑ area["ISO3166-1"="PT"][admin_level=2]->.boundaryarea; (   way(area.boundaryarea)[power=line][!line][disused!=yes][operator="REN"][voltage~220000];   way(area.boundaryarea)[power=cable][!line][disused!=yes][operator="REN"][voltage~220000]; ); (._;>;); out meta;
  8. ↑ area["ISO3166-1"="PT"][admin_level=2]->.boundaryarea; (   way(area.boundaryarea)[power=line][!line][disused!=yes][operator="REN"][voltage~150000];   way(area.boundaryarea)[power=cable][!line][disused!=yes][operator="REN"][voltage~150000]; ); (._;>;); out meta;
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 Características da Rede (2024) - E-REDES
  10. ↑ https://overpass-turbo.eu/s/2kP2
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 11.3 https://www.e-redes.pt/sites/eredes/files/2026-04/E-REDES_Artigo18_RARI2025_Caracterizacao_Redes_Distribuicao_MT_AT_a_31.dez_.2025.pdf
  12. ↑ area["ISO3166-1"="PT"][admin_level=2]->.boundaryarea; (   way(area.boundaryarea)[power={power}][!line][disused!=yes][operator="E-REDES"][voltage~60000];   way(area.boundaryarea)[power=cable][!line][disused!=yes][operator="E-REDES"][voltage~60000]; ); (._;>;); out meta;
  13. ↑ https://overpass-turbo.eu/s/2kPn
  14. ↑ https://overpass-turbo.eu/s/2kPo
  15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 15.2 Relatório da Qualidade de Serviço (2025) - E-REDES
  16. ↑ https://overpass-turbo.eu/s/2kRX]
  17. ↑ https://overpass-turbo.eu/s/2kRZ]
  18. ↑ Overpass (substation=distribution in Portugal)
  19. ↑ Postos de Transformação Distribuição (PTD) (2024) - E-REDES
  20. ↑ Overpass (substation=minor_distribution in Portugal in Portugal)
  21. ↑ OpenInfraMap, collected on 2026-02-24. https://openinframap.org/stats/area/Portugal
  22. ↑ Sourced from OpenStreetMap on 2026-02-26.
  23. ↑ https://www.iberdrola.com/quem-somos/nossa-atividade/energia-hidreletrica/gigabateria-tamega
  24. ↑ 24.0 24.1 https://repositorio-aberto.up.pt/bitstream/10216/68165/1/000154871.pdf
  25. ↑ https://www.cm-portalegre.pt/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/ata_03_2013_cmp.pdf
  26. ↑ https://www.erse.pt/eletricidade/funcionamento/distribuicao/
  27. ↑ https://www.sistemaelectrico-ree.es/en/2021/spanish-electricity-system/transmision/electricity-transmission-grid-facilities
  28. ↑ https://www.ree.es/sites/default/files/01_ACTIVIDADES/Documentos/Mapas-de-red/mapa_transporte_iberico_2018.pdf
  29. ↑ https://mercado.ren.pt/EN/Electr/NetworkAccess/RNTAccess/RNTSpec/Pages/default.aspx
  30. ↑ https://mercado.ren.pt/PT/Electr/AcessoRedes/AcessoRNT/CaractRNT/BibRelAno/Caracteriza%C3%A7%C3%A3o%20da%20RNT%2031-12-2024.pdf
  31. ↑ https://datahub.ren.pt/en/publications/
  32. ↑ https://www.ren.pt/media/al3n1imk/ren-dados-tecnicos-2024.pdf
  33. ↑ https://www.e-redes.pt/en/node/30996
  34. ↑ https://www.e-redes.pt/sites/eredes/files/2023-04/E-REDES_Caracterizacao_das_Redes_de_Distribuicao_a_31.dez_.2022_.pdf
  35. ↑ https://e-redes.opendatasoft.com/explore/dataset/caracteristicas-da-rede/table/
  36. ↑ https://e-redes.opendatasoft.com/explore/dataset/capacidade-rececao-rnd/table/
  37. ↑ https://e-redes.opendatasoft.com/explore/dataset/postos-transformacao-distribuicao/table/
  38. ↑ https://e-redes.opendatasoft.com/explore/dataset/postos-transformacao-distribuicao/table/
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