José Eduardo Martins

Partner | Lisbon

José Eduardo Martins is a Partner and has been at Abreu Advogados since 2005 working primarily in the areas of Environmental, Commercial, and Real Estate Law and is one of the most vastly experienced Portuguese lawyers in the areas of environment, energy and natural resources.

He is the Partner responsible for the Environmental Law practice area and the Angola and Cape Verde Desks, but he works with all Portuguese Speaking jurisdictions on matters related to the production of electricity, carbon license generation and transactions, environmental asset accounting, water and waste management.

José Eduardo also has extensive experience in the public sector, having been Secretary of State for the Environment in the XV Portuguese Constitutional Government, from 2002 – 2004, and a Member of the Portuguese Parliament from 1999 to 2012.

In 2021, José Eduardo was appointed President of the Environment and Energy Commission of the International Chamber of Commerce Portugal (ICC Portugal).

Energy Law, Portugal (2020-2022)

Environmental Law, Portugal (2020-2022)

Public Law, Portugal (2020-2022)

José Eduardo Martins acts on mandates concerning the regulatory and contractual elements of waste-to-energy, coal and natural gas projects. Offers additional advice to clients operating in the renewable energy sector, with sources describing him as a “practical and intelligent” lawyer

“José Eduardo Martins co-leads the team and is well versed in an array of energy types, including waste-to-energy, wind and solar projects. His expertise includes public law.”

Experience

Advising on multiple environmental licensing and closing/decontaminating proceedings of industrial plants.

Advising waste management entities on licensing proceedings for waste management systems for packaging and electric and electronic equipment, and general monitoring of the entity’s activities.

Advising and monitoring the largest producer of renewable energy in the world on a licensing process of a natural gas combined cycle power station in Portugal.

Renegotiation and restoring financial balance for municipal water and waste concessions.

Advising the entity responsible for enforcing Power Purchase Agreements in force in Portugal.

Advising the government of the Republic of Georgia on the drafting of the National Strategy for Sustainable Development; the government of Cape Verde on the National Waste Management Plan and on a number of privatisation processes; the government of Angola on issuing carbon licenses, and more.

Advising a manufacturer of paper pulp products on the implementation and negotiation of a reprivatisation agreement of one of the largest paper production groups in Portugal with the Portuguese government.

Advising a Portuguese Carbon Fund on the negotiation and transaction of carbon emissions.

Advising a Consortium of Portuguese companies on the first end to waste project in Portugal.

Advising the entity responsible for storage/distribution of liquefied gas for the energy and petrochemical/chemical industries on a public tender for the expansion of a liquefied natural gas terminal in Madeira and in Sines.

Associations

Education

University of Lisbon

Law degree from the University of Lisbon Faculty of Law (1993)