Minister of Infrastructure says plan for the Port of Leixões will go ahead

Read here everything that is involved in the Strategic Plan for the Port of Leixões 2025-2035.

Yesterday afternoon, the new Strategic Plan for the Port of Leixões 2025-2035 was presented at the Port of Leixões Cruise Terminal. This plan provides for a government investment of €931 million in the port of Leixões over the next 10 years.

On the sidelines of the official presentation of the plan, the minister did not make it clear whether there is room for changes to one of the points that has generated the most disagreement within the plan: the construction of the new North Container Terminal (TCN) and the relocation of the Leixões Marina, which is currently in Leça da Palmeira, to near the cruise terminal in Matosinhos.

When confronted with the unfavourable opinion of the Matosinhos City Council, the minister stated that the plan ‘is to move forward in harmony with the municipalities’, adding that ‘we will find platforms of understanding between the parties to find solutions’ in relation to the container terminal that is planned to be built in Leça.

Miguel Pinto Luz stated that in a meeting with representatives of the municipalities of Porto, Matosinhos and Vila Nova de Gaia, it was decided that in the future the three municipalities will manage their riverside areas: "It was decided that all equipment and public spaces that are not for the exclusive use of the port [APDL] will be transferred in full. In other words, everything related to the riverfronts, concessions and marinas will be transferred to the management of these municipalities."

What is the Leixões Port Strategic Plan 2025-2035?

According to the project, a platform will be created that will increase the annual container cargo handling capacity by facilitating the arrival of larger vessels, i.e., those with greater cargo capacity. The plans also include the construction of a 750-metre-long train terminal. The transfer of the Leixões Marina from Leça da Palmeira to the Cruise Terminal on the Matosinhos side is also under consideration. The Equestrian Centre may also be affected.

The construction period is estimated at 54 months (four years and six months) and the ‘expected start date for the concession is 2030’, with APDL anticipating a maximum concession period of 75 years.

According to the summary report of the environmental impact assessment (EIA), "There will be very significant negative impacts due to the intrusion into the landscape caused by the quay and park gantries and the compact structure of containers that will be visible in the area surrounding the port, especially from the ocean side, the Cruise Terminal and the coastline from Leça da Palmeira to the Lighthouse/ Boa Nova Church/Boa Nova Tea House,‘ it reads. ’The negative visual impacts are significant in the most distant locations on the coastline, such as the beach and waterfront of Matosinhos, including Avenida General Norton de Matos, the Anémona roundabout and Castelo do Queijo [already in Porto]," it reads.