By: CECÍLIA PIRES
PORTUGUESE PRIME-Minister, José Sócrates, is reconsidering the location for the new International Airport for Lisbon.
A new study, presented earlier this week to the government, pointed the Alcochete shooting range as a more economic and efficient alternative to Ota.
The new study was presented to the President of the Republic, Cavaco Silva, and José Sócrates by Francisco Van Zeller, president of the Confederação da Indústria Portuguesa (CIP), Portugal’s industry representatives.
Money saver
The document states that the Alcochete solution will save taxpayers 65 million euros, three times the cost of the tunnel recently built in Marquês do Pombal in Lisbon, which cost 19 million euros.
The CIP proposal defends that, in the Ota project, these 65 million euros would go to buy land from the 16 different landowners of the 25 properties existing in an area covering 1,810 hectares, located near Triana village, where the airport was supposed to be built. However, if the government chooses the Alcochete solution, this expropriation process will not take place as the 7,500 hectares of the shooting range in Alcochete are state owned.
The Prime Minister said on Monday (June 11) that the study “is interesting from a financial perspective” and that the project for an airport at Ota, with an investment estimated at 3.1 billion euros, is now stopped for reevaluation.
The reaction from the opposition was optimistic, with all political parties against the Ota solution for a new International Airport.
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