To boost progress in this sector, the the Institute of Energy and Industry (IE & I) will be created to act on technical regu- lation, planning, research, policy formu- lation and the promotion of innovation in the energy and industrial sectors.

Special attention is given to improving energy sector planning, to monitoring and evaluation, the development and adaptation of the legal and regulatory framework, and to regulatory enforce- ment.

The potential for the exploitation of en – dogenous renewable resources, namely wind and solar, is foreseen as the the prin- cipal instrument for reducing electrici- ty and water costs and increasing both energy security and the competitiveness and diversity of the national economy. The programme calls for the use of clean and renewable energies, mainly wind en – ergy (as far as technically and economi- cally feasible) on a large scale up to the maximum penetration rate, photovoltaic solar energy (for centralized production and distributed generation) and thermal solar (for water heating).

Spatial and land-use planning is an impor – tant instrument for the organization and sustainable management of the nation – al territory. The sustainable use of land and territorial waters, as environmental resources, where infrastructure and so- cial-economic activities are located, is crucial for the promotion of balanced, harmonious and ecologically sustainable economic development.

The Government recognizes the need and the importance of adopting integrated environmental policies to ensure the sus – tainable management of the environment and natural resources, for the enjoyment of a quality environment by society, and to enhance the value of the environment as an asset and a factor in the country’s economic competitiveness, taking into account the need to achieving a balance between meeting current needs and the expectations of future generations. To reach this goal, a set of commitments has been established, resulting in the de- velopment of environmental policies that will be capitalized through concrete ac- tions,

Institutional action on the environment will be taken during the governance cy- cle (2017-2021) from the perspective of mitigating constraints, managing fragili- ties and taking advantage of opportuni – ties, considering the reference situation and, in order to change the existing sce- nario, aimed at continuous improvement in terms of performance against environ- mental quality indicators leading to the gradual improvement of the environment in Cabo Verde.