Nuno Costa in an interview with Dinheiro Vivo: “Iberian cooperation and energy investment are fundamental for the future”
The CEO of Quadrante Group, Nuno Costa, was featured in a recent interview with the newspaper Dinheiro Vivo. He analyzed the company’s strategic plan up to 2030 , the challenges facing Europe’s energy sector , and the growth potential of the Iberian Peninsula through cross-border cooperation.
Towards 2030: Ambition and Sustainable Growth
With the strategic plan for the 2026–2030 period firmly set , Nuno Costa reiterated that Quadrante’s future vision remains unchanged and focused on expansion. Regardless of potential changes in the shareholder structure—such as the expected future exit of the Henko Brothers fund from its minority stake —the goals are clear:
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Market Growth: Set to multiply business activity threefold over the next five years, aiming to reach approximately €450 million in sales by 2030.
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Job Creation: Expand the current team from 1,500 employees to a workforce of between 4,500 and 5,000 professionals.
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Strategic Focus: Drive organic growth and new corporate acquisitions in the energy and mobility sectors across both Europe and the United States.
Growing Concern Over Portugal’s Electrical Infrastructure
As a specialized consultant, the CEO of Quadrante expressed deep concern regarding the pace of investment in Portugal’s high-voltage energy transmission grid. While acknowledging that the national grid is sophisticated, resilient, and of excellent quality, Nuno Costa warned about the sluggishness of bureaucratic and legislative approval processes.
“Industrial investors who want to set up units that will create long-term jobs and wealth do not have energy; they are not guaranteed energy. (…) Either the investments drag on, or people give up and go to other countries.”
The leader of Quadrante advocated for the urgent simplification of these administrative mechanisms to prevent the loss of productive investment in the country.
The Urgency of European Energy Autonomy and the Iberian Alliance
In light of current global macroeconomic instability and geopolitical tensions in critical areas such as the Strait of Hormuz , Nuno Costa highlighted the energy vulnerability of the United States, China, and the European Union—noting that the EU is the most energy-dependent economic bloc. For the CEO, the solution relies on accelerating the energy transition by investing in renewables, biogas, and green hydrogen.
In this scenario, the Iberian Peninsula emerges as a privileged region with a unique competitive advantage due to the availability of clean energy at low prices. Nuno Costa issued a clear call for a strategic union between Portugal and Spain:
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Coordinated Action: Together, the two economies transition from being mid-sized markets in the European context to holding a prominent global position, leveraging their spheres of influence in Latin America and Africa.
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Joint Growth: Coordinating economic and energy policies will allow both nations to capture value more robustly and accelerate industrial development across the entire region.
Copyright Note:
The full version of this interview was originally published in the newspaper Dinheiro Vivo. You can read the complete interview in Portuguese here.