The coastal strip between Quarteira and Garrão, in the Algarve, will be the target of a large-scale intervention that promises to visibly change the profile of the beaches until the next bathing season. The work, announced by the Government, involves artificially feeding sand along several kilometers of coastline in the municipality of Loulé.
At stake is a public investment of almost 15 million euros aimed at reinforcing the protection of the Algarve coastline, in an area historically marked by erosion and direct exposure to sea disturbances.
According to the newspaper Correio da Manhã, the intervention will begin next Monday, January 11th, and should be completed before the start of summer, complying with the calendar defined to guarantee full use of the beaches during the bathing season.
According to the same source, the work will cover an extension of 6.7 kilometers of seafront, between Quarteira beach and Garrão beach, predicting the deposition of around 1.4 million cubic meters of sediment.
More width and greater coastal protection
The newspaper writes that, at the end of the project, an average increase of around 37.5 meters is expected in the emerging part of the sand, allowing not only wider beaches but also a greater capacity to dissipate wave energy.
The publication adds that this artificial feeding aims to mitigate erosion of the cliffs and ensure the stability of the entire coastal section intervened, reducing risks to people, infrastructure and tourist equipment.
Environmental safeguard included in the project
The intervention was designed to avoid negative impacts on the Ria Formosa lagoon system, in particular on the barrier island system located below the intervened area.
According to the same source, to move forward with the work it was necessary to carry out an Environmental Impact Study and obtain the respective Environmental Impact Declaration, ensuring compliance with legal requirements in terms of environmental protection.
Wider plan for the Algarve coast
He quotes the Minister of Environment and Energy, Maria da Graça Carvalho, who frames this work within a broader set of interventions underway in the Algarve. “This is one of the many interventions that are already being carried out on the Algarve coast”, says the government official.
The person responsible lists other similar operations, such as Praia do Vau, in Portimão, the renaturalization of the Ancão Peninsula and the artificial feeding of Fuzeta and Ilha da Armona, stressing that these are “fundamental” works for the country.
International competition and awarded company
It is also important to highlight that the international public tender for this project was launched in September 2025, having been won by the company Dravosa SA, responsible for carrying out the work on the ground.
The intervention is integrated into the Vilamoura-Vila Real de Santo António Coastal Planning Plan, a strategic instrument that defines the lines of action for the protection and management of the coastline in this region of the country.
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