Offshore Wind Energy, Commercial Fisheries, and the Politics of Marine Space in Portugal

This article addresses emerging tensions and conflicts in the use of ocean space amid the renewable energy transition and broader notions of blue growth in Portugal. Empirically, it sheds light on the role of the state in promoting the marine renewable energy industry, along with the fishers’ resistance and intra-sectoral struggles that emerge in the process. First, the study results show that wind energy occupies a prominent position in the Portuguese government’s strategies and ambitions for offshore renewables, but the development process is very complex. Second, the main reasons for fishers’ opposition to currently existing and planned offshore wind power projects relate to procedural fairness, loss of access to fishing grounds and livelihoods, compensation for losses and food security. Third, the uptake of offshore wind energy can not only create conflicts between commercial fishermen and developers but also reinforce existing conflicts within the internally differentiated impacted fishing industry.