Portuguese PM champions Sines as natural gas port

LISBON, Nov. 28 (Xinhua) -- The Portuguese port of Sines is primed to become Europe's principal natural gas port, Portuguese Prime Minister Antonio Costa told local reporters here on Tuesday.

"European energy security has everything to gain by creating and developing a new terminal that will allow us to take delivery of gas on the Atlantic front," Costa said.

Costa was speaking at a business event called "Portugal Strategy 2030" held in Lisbon.

Last week, the government pledged to spend 2.5 billion euros (3 billion U.S. dollars) by 2026 on upgrading Portugal's principal ports and related infrastructure.

Sines, some 160 km south of Lisbon, is set to become a major component in the Atlantic Corridor, a European Union (EU) infrastructure project. High-speed rail links will connect ports such as Sines to markets and distribution centers at the heart of Europe. Enditem