José Manuel Bolieiro chairs signing of €49.8 million project at São Roque do Pico Port - Communication

Presidência do Governo Regional

The President of the Regional Government, José Manuel Bolieiro, chaired today the signing ceremony of the Consignment Agreement for the Coastal Protection Works in the Roque do Pico Port Bay. The project, promoted by the Regional Port Authorities, represents a global investment of about €49.8 million. It is mainly intended to increase the safety of people and property in the face of the strong sea conditions along the northern coast of Pico Island.

Awarded to the company Mota-Engil, Engenharia e Construção, S.A., the works contract has a completion period of 36 months. The project involves the construction of a 395-metre breakwater, built with rockfill and prefabricated blocks, a concrete curtain wall with a maximum height of nine metres, dredging works, a service quay and maritime signage. This intervention is part of the regional coastal protection strategy, which aims to ensure the resilience of infrastructures and safeguard adjacent urban areas.

José Manuel Bolieiro pointed out that the Regional Government decided not to promote this project before the recent local elections, highlighting the sense of institutional responsibility underlying the Government's action.

"We are not using this moment to fulfil electoral commitments, but rather to express our strategic vision. We are investing with a sense of mission and wisdom in our municipalities, our islands, and the Azores," he said.

The head of the Azorean Government recalled that this investment meets the challenges posed by climate change and the need to improve the protection of coastal communities.

"The extreme phenomena we face require special attention. This work concerns" political and generational responsibility, as it protects the population and enhances the territory," he added.

Emphasising the symbolic and strategic relevance of the project, José Manuel Bolieiro also stated that "this work fulfils a long-held dream of the São Roque do Pico people, but it is also a statement of intergenerational responsibility from those who want to leave a future and stability for forthcoming generations."

The project was developed by the consortium WW – Consultores de Hidráulica e Obras Marítimas, S.A. / MSW – Estudos e Projetos de Obras Marítimas, Lda., with the supervisory procedure expected to be launched later this week.

The ceremony was attended by the Regional Secretary for Finance, Planning and Public Administration, Duarte Freitas, the Regional Secretary for Tourism, Mobility and Infrastructures, Berta Cabral, the Mayor of São Roque do Pico, Luís Filipe Silva, the President of the Island Council, Rui Matos, the President of the Regional Port Authorities, Sancha Costa Santos, and the President of the São Roque do Pico Parish Council, Luís Ávila, among other local and regional entities.