LNEG - Laboratório Nacional de Energia e Geologia
The National Laboratory of Energy and Geology (LNEG) carries out research, testing and technological development related activities mainly in the areas of Energy and Geology.
LNEG includes the competences of the Geological Survey of Portugal, established in 1851. This research institution advises government agencies, local authorities and private enterprises. Key scientific areas include: geological mapping, geophysical surveys, ground water resources, subsurface energy storage/disposal, raw materials and minerals resources, marine geology, and environmental impacts assessment. Our mission also includes the promotion of technological innovation focused on science and technology, aiming to raise private sector companies’ competitiveness within a framework of sustainable economic progress. Within the scope of competences attributed by the Portuguese government’s strategies and policies for economic and social development, LNEG takes up the role of an interface between the results generated by research and development programmes and their technological integration with the private sector.
Our participation in a broad range of international projects convenes us a key partner role for internationalisation, as well as a source of specialised information across several R&D subjects.
As a Ministry of Economy and Innovation entity, LNEG is also an important agent as a qualified participant in the design of public policies in the areas of Energy and Technology.
LNEG’s activities, with their core focus on companies’ demands and needs, can be aggregated in three distinct areas:
- Financed R&D Projects, integrated on European Union Support Programmes, and Technological Research and Development Programmes.
- Providing specialised services to the private sector and the public sector.
- Direct support to the state in its international representation through the supply of scientific and technological support, tailored to specific sector’s policies, transversal issues and their interfaces, in addition to the evaluation of impact on broader social issues. LNEG is called upon as national expert or representative by various international authorities, such as the International Energy Agency (IEA), the European Technology Platform on Zero Emission Fossil Fuel Power Plants (ZEP) and the European Energy Research Alliance (EERA)
National activities: LNEG is part of the national task force organised at governmental level for the implementation of the EU Directive for CO2 storage, participates in the first CCS project in Portugal – K Tejo and is coordinating the 7FP COMET project on Integrated infrastructure for CO2 transport and storage in the west Mediterranean.