LISBON, Feb. 20 (Xinhua) -- The Portuguese government is to spend one million euros (1.22 million U.S. dollars) on destroying decommissioned munitions and explosives, the Ministry of Defense announced on Tuesday.
The disused arsenal belongs to the Portuguese armed forces and is in a state that represents a "high degree of risk and degradation," according to a ministry dispatch seen by the Lusa Portuguese News Agency.
The materials will be destroyed using methods that "fulfill legal requirements and regulations concerning safety and environmental risks, and protect the health of workers handling the materials".
The task will be performed by the Platform for National Defense Industries (idD), which was awarded the commission without recourse to public tender. The government has previously described the idD as the only entity in Portugal with the operational capacity to perform such work.
The budget was agreed following consultation between the Ministry of Defense and the idD.
The exact amount budgeted is 975, 523 euros, plus VAT. This is marginally less than the 975,524 euros plus VAT agreed by the ministry and the idD in 2017. In 2016, the bill came in at 975, 538 euros, according to the Dinheiro Vivo website.
