Portugal’s route to its coal phaseout is becoming crystal clear, with everything running smoothly to see the fossil fuel eliminated from the country’s energy mix by 2023. With new gigawatt-scale hydropower and ‘green hydrogen’ (hydrogen produced using renewable energy) projects set to replace existing coal-fired facilities, Portugal is increasingly becoming Europe’s poster child in the route to net-zero by 2050. The final stages of construction are underway in northern Portugal for the Tamega Complex – a 1.2 GW project entailing three dams and hydropower plans, along with a 900 MW pumped storage facility. Upon its commission, the plant is set to directly replace EDP’s Sines coal plant and complete Portugal coal phaseout at its accelerated deadline in 2023. The complex’s…