Ponta Delgada, Portugal, Nov. 8, 2019 (Lusa) – As of Friday, the government of the Azores has decided to put an end to the energy crisis concerning diesel fuel on the islands of Flores and Corvo following the recent passage of hurricane Lorenzo through the archipelago.

In a press release, the regional government pointed out that order 1593/2019 of 3 October, amended by order 1757/2019 of 31 October, which declared the situation of energy crisis in the islands of Flores and Corvo, will be updated and republished shortly in the state journal

“The amendment, which takes effect from today [Friday], determines the end of the energy crisis on Flores and Corvo, concerning road diesel and coloured and marked diesel used in agriculture and fisheries,” it said.

The decision is because it is now possible to supply Flores with 363,000 litres of diesel, leaving the island with a current stock of 600,000 litres.

This supply, which began on Monday afternoon and ended on Wednesday afternoon, was only possible due to the intervention of the tugboat “Pêro de Teive”, owned by the public company Portos dos Açores, which helped the ship “São Jorge”, carrying out the transfer of fuel to the island, in an exceptional operation.

The energy crisis continues only for petrol.

During the passage of “Lorenzo” through the Azores in early October, 255 occurrences were recorded, and 53 people had to be relocated.

The passage destroyed the port of Lajes das Flores, which put the supply to the Western group at risk.

In total, the bad weather caused damage of about €330 million, according to the Azores regional government.

On 14 October, the region’s president, Vasco Cordeiro, requested financial assistance from the state and the activation of the European Union Solidarity Fund.

A week later, the Portuguese government said that it would cover 85% of the damage and speed up procedures to restore the destroyed infrastructure.

The announcement was made by Vasco Cordeiro, in Lisbon, after a meeting with the prime minister, António Costa, and with the ministers of economy and planning, Pedro Siza Vieira and Nelson de Souza, respectively.

According to Vasco Cordeiro, at the meeting, the government assumed without reservation the duty of solidarity with the Azores, as had been requested by the regional government.

On Friday, the governor has scheduled a hearing in Lisbon with the prime minister.