EEM – Empresa de Electricidade da Madeira, S.A. is the public, fully state-owned electricity utility for Portugal’s Autonomous Region of Madeira. Established in 1897 and headquartered in Funchal, it operates as a single legal entity responsible for the production, transmission, distribution and commercialization of electricity on the islands of Madeira and Porto Santo. The company manages two isolated, small-scale power systems that are not interconnected with continental grids, aiming to supply all consumers with reliable, good-quality and economically efficient electricity while ensuring compatibility with the local environment and supporting regional socio-economic development. Its headquarters complex on Funchal’s seafront concentrates the Funchal substation, an electricity museum, administrative and consumer support services, and technical and engineering offices.
EEM plans, operates and maintains the islands’ electricity networks, including transmission (TNSP) and distribution (DNSP) functions. It oversees a system with around 25 substations, approximately 850 km of lines and about 130,000 customers. The company has long experience integrating significant shares of hydro, wind and solar PV generation and is increasingly deploying energy storage, smart grid solutions and electric mobility. It has awarded Siemens and Fluence a contract for a 22.5 MVA / 15.6 MWh battery storage plant at the Vitória thermal power plant, designed to lift Madeira’s renewable share to around 50%, reduce fuel consumption, provide fast reserve and black-start capability and strengthen grid resilience. EEM also partners with Groupe Renault on the “Sustainable Porto Santo – Smart Fossil Free Island” programme and participates in EU-funded initiatives such as INSULAE, focusing on decision support tools, microgrids, higher renewable penetration and the long-term decarbonisation of the islands’ energy systems.
PTactiveUtilityState-Owned· 1 project