The E-Redes distribution network has been scrambling to restore power to two Almada-based radio stations since May 10, after illegal electricity taps in Bairro da Penajoia triggered a blackout that has silenced FM broadcasts for more than 48 hours.
The Impact
• 11 jobs at risk — Rádio Radar and Rádio Oxigénio together employ nearly a dozen people who face potential layoffs if FM transmission remains unreliable.
• How it happened — Residents in the informal settlement tap directly into distribution lines—so-called "puxadas" or "pirate taps"—creating overloads that melt insulation and trip safety breakers, knocking out power to the radios' transmitter and neighboring areas.
• Institutional failure — The Portugal Institute for Housing and Urban Rehabilitation (IHRU) owns the land where the illegal neighborhood is located, yet both IHRU and Almada Municipal Council have not resolved the situation despite repeated appeals.
• Commercial threat — Without FM transmission, the stations cannot guarantee advertising airtime, threatening the financial model that keeps them operating.
What Happened
Rádio Radar and Rádio Oxigénio share a transmission tower in Bairro da Penajoia, an unplanned settlement on IHRU-owned property. Residents have been illegally tapping into distribution lines, creating sustained overloads that compromise the grid. The result affects not only the radio stations' transmitter but also neighboring Bairro do Matadouro, where residents report regular outages.
Ricardo Guerra, director of both stations, told the Lusa news agency that E-Redes crews were working to restore service, though without guarantees of success. Even if the current fix holds, the cycle is likely to repeat: the illegal taps have persisted, and each repair faces the threat of vandalism or new overloads within weeks.
Guerra's frustration centers on institutional inaction. Despite repeated appeals, Almada Municipal Council has provided what he describes as "a total absence of response," and IHRU—which collects lease payments from the radio stations for the transmitter site—has likewise remained silent. The result is a situation in which legal tenants lose service because the property owner has not addressed illegal connections on its land.
The Broader Challenge
Illegal electricity theft is a documented problem in Portugal's informal settlements. For the two Almada stations, the arithmetic is straightforward: no FM means no advertising revenue, and without revenue, jobs disappear. This underscores a broader governance challenge: when landlords fail to secure their property and authorities do not intervene swiftly, lawful businesses operating on that property bear the cost.
In October 2025, Almada's mayor sent a letter to national authorities demanding urgent action on Penajoia and the adjacent Raposo settlement. The municipality has filed complaints alleging various crimes in the settlement, but resolution has been slow.
What's Next
E-Redes is reportedly engineering technical solutions to isolate affected areas, a workaround that addresses the immediate problem but does not resolve the underlying issue of illegal connections. Radio Radar and Oxigénio continue to stream online, but Guerra has indicated that without reliable FM service, the long-term viability of the stations is in doubt.
For the 11 people employed by these stations—and for the advertisers and listeners who depend on them—the question is whether authorities will act decisively to address the illegal infrastructure that continues to disrupt the grid.
