“I think this is one of the great transforming projects of the Portuguese economy. We want to create an international centre for blue biotechnologies that will place Portugal at the forefront of this transformation of the economic development model we have today”, said António Costa e Silva.

The Blue International Biotechnology Centre will result from the collaboration of Galp, the Oceano Azul Foundation, the Municipality of Matosinhos, in the Porto district, and the Coordination and Development Commission of the North (CCDR-N).

According to the head of the Economy and the Sea, this is a “project of great ambition”.

“The importance is great because the blue economy, according to the estimates of the European Union, will be about 200 billion euros in 2030 (...) we want to attract between five to 7% of that market value and creating conditions in the country for generating revenues ranging from 10 to 14 billion euros”.

That facility will be installed on the former grounds of the Galp refinery, in Matosinhos, which closed its doors in 2020, but the decontamination of the soil has not yet been carried out.

For the minister, the land decontamination process "can be an obstacle if it is not treated in the proper way".

“That's why the methodology we have at the Ministry of Economy is to talk to all the partners and seat them at the same table. We have to articulate these wills, knowing that there is always a risk map”, he assumed.

Asked about how the decontamination of the land will be carried out and by which entity, the minister assured that "the polluter pays principle always applies, the State will not allocate funds to decontaminate land", he said.

“Galp has assumed that decontamination will proceed quickly as long as the areas are identified”, he explained.