As part of its commitment to be 100% green by 2030 and to stop producing energy from fossil fuels, EDP has challenged the Portuguese artist Vhils to develop the first submarine exhibition of the Iberian Peninsula, using pieces from EDP’s former thermal power plants. Now that these power plants are being dismantled in order to clear their way to renewable energies and innovation centers, these pieces will have a second life thanks to EDP Art Reef’s initiative. Among the 13 pieces used to give shape to this submarine ecosystem, one may find former coal mills from the plant of Soto de Ribera, in Asturias.

Some of these art pieces, that will be subsequently plunged, are already available to be visited. Until April 15, the public may see for free the intervention made by the artist, in the company’s headquarters in Lisbon.

Throughout the last three years, Vhils Studio, together with a 200-people-team, has visited the dismantled plants, aiming to develop the creative concept of the EDP Art Reef, to choose the materials and to operate with them. The final result will be this submarine exhibition facing the coast of Albufeira, with unique large pieces, that will be transformed by the elements’ influence over time.

The works have been conceived to generate a new artificial reef and will be plunged 12 meters deep and can thus only be visited by qualified divers. Therefore, a visit to the pre-exhibition of the EDP headquarters enables to know first-hand part of this work.

“The idea of plunging into the ocean installations composed by parts of dismantled thermoelectric plants has a strong metaphoric weight, both for the need of a responsible use of resources and to underline the environmental problems that need urgent answers and that arise from human activity on the planet. The goal of this project is to promote de development of innovative actions that lead to a creation of systems that establish a harmonious relation with nature. The transformation of these materials into an ecosystem favorable to coral reefs’ growth and the reception of diverse shapes in the marine fauna and flora, is an example of this approach, and I hope that it will be the first of many steps towards a future that becomes increasingly conscious and sustainable”, declares the artist Alexandre Farto, alias Vhils.

EDP Art Reef intends to bring the public face to face with the consequences of the humans’ action, the increasing instability of the aquatic environment, the effects of climate change and the importance of reverting the impact on the planet.

“In EDP we believe that it is time to set down our commitment with the future of the following generations. It has never been so important to change fossil fuels for renewable sources, promoting energy transition and ensuring to make it in a fair and inclusive way. EDP Art Reef is a pioneer project, created by a great personality of contemporary art, as a tribute to the past of the electricity sector and our country, but also as a commitment with our future”, states Vera Pinto Pereira, CEO of the commercial area of the EDP Group.

This initiative has been approved by the competent authorities, that have concluded that it will not have a negative impact on the ecosystem, but that it will represent an environmental asset that will positively contribute to the development of a local ecosystem. On the recommendation of marine biologists that provide technical support to the project, all pieces have been designed to enable the passage of the local fauna, and alive corals that were rescued and kept in captivity will be implanted in the base of these pieces. This place, that will be watched during the following years, being available for scientific and environmental studies, also stands out because of its cultural and sensitivity aspects.

This project will also transform the region of the Algarve into an important destination to do cultural recreational diving. To achieve this, the project has had an important support from the city council of Albufeira, Portugal Tourism and CCMar (University of the Algarve) among others, and has been validated by the Directorate-General of Natural Resources and the Portuguese Agency of Environment, as well as by other competent entities. Likewise, the plunge of the exhibition has the authorization of the Institute for Nature Conservation and Forests from the Maritime Authority.