The company E-Redes assured today that it is carrying out a structural intervention on the electrical network in Bairro do Matadouro, in Almada, which includes the replacement and burial of the existing overhead network, to create an independent circuit.
Residents of the neighborhood, in the district of Setúbalcomplain of constant interruptions in the electricity supply, sometimes lasting several hours, causing material damage and danger to public safety, and of not having a response from the responsible entities to resolve the problem.
Mariana, one of the residents in the neighborhood, located next to the Garcia de Orta Hospital and adjacent to the illegal neighborhood of Penajoia, he explained, in statements to the Lusa agency, that the situation has been dragging on for months and that, despite all the complaints made to E-Redes, the situation remains unchanged, and is even getting worse. The problem extends to the entire population of Bairro do Matadouro and residents, Mariana said, feel abandoned.
“We pay the bills and have everything in accordance with the law, but we are being ignored and left on the sidelines by competent entities such as E-Redes”, he said, referring to the company responsible for the distribution and maintenance of the electricity network in mainland Portugal.
The repeated power outages, explained the resident, have caused material damage to refrigerators and freezers, water heaters, electric hobs and washing machines, and have put public safety at risk, as they leave streets and homes in the dark at night, exposing residents to the risk of crime and accidents.
Questioned by Lusa, the electricity distribution company E-Redes explains that the interruptions recorded in Bairro do Matadouro result from overloads in the circuits that supply this area, caused by illegal connections coming from the Penajoia neighborhoodand that these situations affect the stability of the network and require technical interventions to restore the service.
Penajoia is an illegal housing cluster installed on land owned by the Housing and Urban Rehabilitation Institute (IHRU) that has been growing in recent years. The situation has already led the Almada City Council to send a open letter to the Government to call for an urgent response.
In the response sent to the Lusa agency, E-Redes also states that, as a rule, incidents are resolved on the same day they are detected.
Regarding the episodes that occurred last Saturday, Sunday and Tuesday, according to the company, the intervention was postponed until the following morning due to the specificity of the faults and, above all, for reasons of team safety at night. E-Redes also ensures that it is carrying out a structural intervention in the local electricity network.
“This work will eliminate dependence on power from the circuit with overloads and definitively resolve interruptions. Its completion is scheduled for December”he says, adding that he will continue to monitor the situation until the work is completed and intervene whenever necessary to minimize impacts.
In a message addressed to the residents of Bairro do Matadouro, the company emphasizes that there is a definitive solution in progress, with a defined deadline, and that the security and reliability of supply are priorities for E-Redes.
In view of recent complaints from residents, the Lusa agency also questioned the Almada City Councilwho stated that several measures had been taken to regularize the situation, which, “as it is already in the public domain, it originates from illegal pulls carried out by residents of the illegal nucleus of Penajoia”.
“In addition to successive requests and alerts to the Government, namely the IHRU, regarding the emerging need to resolve this complex problem existing in the municipality, on State land, the municipality has been meeting and working in close collaboration with E-Redes in order to minimize the impacts of these cuts in supply.”he explained.
According to the municipality, last week E-Redes started a new project, after several interventions already carried out, which, according to the company, will allow the medium voltage cable to be reinforced and, in this way, resolve the situation that affects the residents of Bairro do Matadouro. It is estimated that the work will last between two and three weeks.
In the response sent to Lusa, the municipality stated that “has also visited and made several contacts with the residents of Bairro do Matadouro, explaining what is being done to normalize the electricity supply”.