Production, Distribution and Consumption of Electricity in Portugal (1890-1973) The main goal is to develop a participative history project, based both on the analysis and the documental material, as well as live testimonies. The project presented herein wishes, as its primary goal, to initiate the undertaking of a History of Electricity in Portugal. Its research strategy will settle on the unfolding of a series of sets of investigations, focusing on four main study areas:

1. First sector companies and its relationship with the improvement of the urban infrastructures of the late 19th century.

2. The outlining of a central policy, based on cost analysis and benefit results of thermic and hydro-electric alternatives, and its consequences on the advancement towards an integrated network.

3. The growth of consumption and the outspread of private equipment thus benefiting from electricity, as is with modern city life.

4. The end of the era of dams and the search of new alternatives (the nuclear option, or alternative energies).

The leading element for this analytical investigation being the moments of transition, bordering the various technical/economical alternatives: gas/thermic electricity; thermic/hydro-electric; hydro-electric/petroleum and by-products; hydro-electric/nuclear and alternatives.

ETHIC, SOCIAL AND ENVIRONMENT IMPACTS

The centralization of the goal of the project on the different technological and economical alternatives for the production of energy, throughout the 20th century, allows to bring forth the way in which the social and environmental costs were gradually put into perspective in Portugal. The investigating front on the nuclear option and the augment of well informed sectors as well as companies dedicated to the cause of the alternative energies (mainly solar) will enable us to confirm the reasons which result in the declining of expectations and investment in these energy sources in the period after 1962.

RESEARCH GROUP

The research project team is composed of seven investigators from several Universities of the country. Their ages ranging from twenty to a little over forty years old, the members of this team have been able to develop a close relationship in spite of their different points of view, thus allowing a healthy sharing of skills and knowledge. The initial idea came from a group of PhD Professors who had been working on different research projects such as “the history of technology and industry” (Nuno Luís Madureira), “the history of science”, “technology and engineering” (Ana Cardoso de Matos) as well as in several urban services support industries – for instance electricity and water supply (Álvaro Ferreira da Silva). Having already worked together in previous research projects these scholars were perfectly aware of each other’s working methods and points of view, which turned out to be an added value to this new team. The positive relationships they had built in the past allowed these team members to strengthen their working experiences and knowledge.

Soon a younger generation joined this project, mainly driven by an urge to finish their Master’s Degree thesis. These new investigators found themselves interested in the energy history subject for different reasons: Diego Bussola, a historian whose curriculum vitae also includes several engineering studies, was mainly interested in approaching the so-called social features of consumption; Sofia Teives, an economist working in several time series, had always shown a special interest in the areas of ecology and environment and; last but not least, Bruno Cordeiro, a social scientist already familiar with electricity sources, was trying to define what he called the social sense (or social logic) behind technological options.

The obvious diversity as far as academic backgrounds and interest areas are concerned has been the team’s best quality as well as its strong point, since it has allowed all team members to share and exchange their points of view, thus comparing several perspectives related to the history of energy.