A major beach reinforcement project between Quarteira and Garrão in Loulé is set to begin on Monday (January 12), with €14.9 million being invested to fight coastal erosion and widen the shoreline ahead of next summer.
The works will involve the artificial replenishment of sand along a 6.7-kilometre stretch of coastline, with around 1.4 million cubic metres of sediment being deposited between the beaches of Quarteira and Garrão.
The aim is to reduce cliff erosion, stabilise the coastal front and protect nearby sensitive areas, ensuring there are no negative impacts on the Ria Formosa barrier island system.
Once completed, the project is expected to increase the usable beach area by an average of 37.5 metres along one of the longest continuous coastal stretches in the municipality of Loulé, which has been battered by destructive storms in recent years. The works are scheduled to be finished before the start of the summer season.
The intervention is part of the Plano de Ordenamento da Orla Costeira Vilamoura-Vila Real de Santo António (Vilamoura-Vila Real de Santo António Coastal Management Plan, shortened to POOC in Portuguese) and follows the approval of an Environmental Impact Assessment. The international tender was launched on September 3, 2025, and awarded to Dravosa SA, with the contract due to be signed on Saturday, January 10 in Loulé.
Portugal’s Minister of Environment, Maria da Graça Carvalho, said the project is one of several ongoing coastal protection works in the Alagrve, pointing to interventions at Praia do Vau in Portimão, the Ancão peninsula, Fuseta beach and Armona island, as well as a planned overhaul of the Quarteira groynes.
The minister added that the works are essential to “guarantee the safety of populations and the protection of the country’s shoreline.”
Source: Barlavento
