Galp has become the first operator in Portugal to implement and provide a system for charging electric vehicles (EV) using streetlight poles. This project aims to expand the urban EV charging network, making it more convenient and accessible.
By utilising public lighting infrastructure, the initiative also reduces the time and cost associated with installing new slow-charging points, minimises the need for additional grid capacity, and avoids occupying extra space on public pavements.
"This is an urgent need in major urban centres," stated João Diogo Marques da Silva, Galp’s Executive Board Member responsible for the Commercial division. "In the metropolitan areas of Lisbon and Porto, for instance, more than half of households lack private parking or garages, meaning the demand for charging points must be met by the public network through solutions like this," he added.
In addition to the charging points already operational in the Junqueiro, neighbourhood of Carcavelos, and the former Matosinhos Refinery, Galp is working to deploy EV charging points based on this technology in other parts of the country.
The project aligns with Galp's strategy to expand its electric vehicle charging network, which is the largest in Portugal, with over 5,500 points currently installed. As a result of this leadership, Galp reached the milestone of one million charging sessions on its electric mobility network in October, surpassing in just 10 months the total recorded for the entire year of 2023.