According to Order No. 9620/2025, published in the Official Gazette (DRE), "based on the factual and legal grounds contained in the documents supporting the process (...), the Minister of Economy and Territorial Cohesion and the Minister of Environment and Energy determine that the Nuvem submarine cable be recognised as a "relevant public interest action."

"This recognition is conditional upon the implementation of the mitigation measures contained in the project and other applicable legal and regulatory standards," states the order, dated August 7.

AECOM, a North American company responsible for licensing the "Cloud System Project" in Portugal for the "Transatlantic submarine cable between Sines (Portugal) and the East Coast of the United States of America," which would land in Bermuda and cross the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) of the Azores (Portugal), had requested recognition of significant public interest.

"The project aims to install the cable (by burial) in an area covered by the National Ecological Reserve (REN) in the municipality of Sines, on land, aiming to significantly increase international connectivity and contribute to compliance with the Strategy of the National Program for Spatial Planning Policies and the Agenda for the Territory, specifically by meeting the need to 'expand international digital connectivity through submarine cables,'" the ruling reads.

According to the report from the Alentejo Regional Coordination and Development Commission, "the need to implement the project and the lack of a viable alternative in areas not integrated into the National Ecological Reserve (REN) have been demonstrated." At the City Council's proposal, the Sines Municipal Assembly "unanimously resolved on April 30, 2025, to recognize the municipal interest of the project in question," according to the document.

The project is not subject to an environmental impact assessment procedure, according to the report from the Portuguese Environment Agency, "as it is not likely to cause significant negative impacts on the environment, provided that the minimization measures proposed by the applicant are complied with. These measures should be included, as applicable, in the various authorizations issued for the project."

According to Order No. 67/MAEN/2025 of the Minister of Environment and Energy, "the proposal does not conflict with the provisions of the Sines Municipal Master Plan regulations" and the proposal "was presented and discussed with all entities required to comment on it, based on local conditions, with no objections to the installation of the cable."

Furthermore, "the intervention evaluated solutions aimed at reducing and minimizing potential negative environmental impacts and does not significantly affect the safeguarding of the functions provided by REN or biophysical balance."

On September 25, 2023, Google announced Nuvem, a new transatlantic submarine cable system to connect Portugal, Bermuda, and the United States, which the Minister of Infrastructure described as a "very important investment."

This new system, named after the Portuguese word "cloud," the technology company said at the time, "will improve network resilience across the Atlantic and help respond to the growing demand for digital services."