Government recognizes public interest in Nuvem submarine cable

The Ministries of Economy and Environment recognize the Nuvem project, a transatlantic submarine cable between Sines and the US East Coast, as a “relevant action of public interest,” subject to the implementation of minimization measures.

According to dispatch no. 9620/2025, published this Wednesday in the Official Gazette (DRE), “based on the factual and legal grounds contained in the documents that supported the process (…), the Minister of Economy and Territorial Cohesion and the Minister of Environment and Energy, determine to recognize as an action of relevant public interest” the Nuvem submarine cable.

“Conditioning the aforementioned recognition to the implementation of the minimization measures contained in the project and other applicable legal and regulatory standards,” reads the order, dated August 7.

AECOM, a North American company responsible for licensing in Portugal the “Cloud System Project — a transatlantic submarine cable between Sines (Portugal) and the East Coast of the United States of America”, with a landing in Bermuda and crossing the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) of the Azores (Portugal), had requested that it be granted recognition of relevant public interest.

“The aforementioned project aims to install the aforementioned cable (by burial), in an area covered by the National Ecological Reserve (REN), in the municipality of Sines, in a land area, aiming to provide a large increase in international connectivity, as well as contributing to the fulfillment of the Strategy of the National Program of Territorial Planning Policies and the Agenda for the Territory, namely by fulfilling the need to 'expand international digital connectivity through submarine cables'”, reads the dispatch.

According to the opinion of the Alentejo Regional Coordination and Development Commission, IP, “the need to implement the project and the lack of a viable alternative in areas not integrated into the National Ecological Reserve (REN) has been demonstrated” and, following a proposal from the Municipal Council, the Municipal Assembly of Sines “unanimously decided, on April 30, 2025, to recognize the municipal interest of the project in question”, according to the document.

The project is not subject to an environmental impact assessment procedure, according to the opinion of the Portuguese Environment Agency, “as it is not likely to cause significant negative impacts on the environment provided that the minimization measures proposed by the applicant are complied with, and these measures must be included, as applicable, in the various authorizations that may be issued for the project”.

According to dispatch no. 67/MAEN/2025 of the Minister of Environment and Energy, “the proposal does not conflict with the provisions of the regulation of the Municipal Master Plan of Sines” and the proposal “was presented and discussed with all entities that would have to pronounce themselves on it, depending on local conditions, with no objections to the installation of the cable”.

On the other hand, “the intervention assessed solutions that aim to reduce and minimize potential negative environmental impacts and does not constitute a significant impact on the safeguarding of the functions ensured by REN or biophysical balance”.

On September 25, 2023, Google announced Nuvem, a new transatlantic submarine cable system to connect Portugal, Bermuda, and the United States, which the Minister of Infrastructure called a “very important investment.”

This new system, named after the Portuguese word "cloud," the technology company said at the time, "will improve the resilience of the network in the Atlantic and help meet the growing demand for digital services."