The Portuguese secretary of state for Energy, Artur Trindade, is due Tuesday to begin an official visit to East Timor in the company of Portuguese businesspeople, the State Secretariat said in a statement issued in Lisbon.

On this visit, Trindade will make contacts with investors in the area of oil prospecting and exploration in East Timor as well as analysing the possibility of cooperation in renewable energy.

The visit is due to end on Friday 22 March when Trindade will sign a memorandum of cooperation between Portugal and East Timor in the geology and energy sectors, said a spokesperson from the State Secretariat who gave no further details of the agreement.

After his visit to East Timor the secretary of state for Energy is due to take part in the Pacific Energy Summit, in Auckland, New Zealand, where he will give a talk on Portugal's experience in developing renewable energy. (macauhub)