The Port of Barcelona has officially opened its first onshore power supply (OPS) for ferries at Grimaldi Terminal Barcelona, on Sant Bertran wharf. This OPS supplies 100% renewable electricity daily to the ferries connecting Barcelona with the Balearic Islands, enabling them to turn off their engines and preventing the emissions and noise they generate while at port.
The OPS, manufactured by Vinci Energies in France, combines a fixed installation, which adapts the frequency and voltage of the electrical current to the specific needs of each ship, with a mobile system manufactured by Shore Link in Estonia that enables the connection of the system without interfering with dock operations. The current system means a single ship can be connected, but the installation has been designed to be easily expandable so that two ships can be connected simultaneously at the two docking points on Sant Bertran wharf. The system cost €3.5m (US$3.8m) and was partly financed through the Spanish government’s Sustainable and Digital Transport Support Programme under the Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan.
The entry into service of the OPS for ferries completes phase one of the Nexigen plan for wharf electrification, involving an investment of over €200m (US$220m), which is stated to enable a reduction of emissions from port activity by 47%. Like the Hutchinson Ports BEST terminal’s OPS, officially opened last summer and the first to be installed in a container terminal in a Mediterranean port, the Grimaldi Terminal Barcelona OPS is operating in a pilot phase to provide data and experience regarding supplying electricity to ships.
The OPS was set up in coordination with Grimaldi Logística España, designing its various systems to make them compatible with the daily operations of the terminal. In parallel, Trasmed, the Spanish shipping company of the Grimaldi Group, has adapted its Ciudad de Palma and Ciudad de Sóller vessels to make them compatible with the system, and they now connect and stop their engines during their calls at the Port of Barcelona.
Cutting emissions
According to the port, the ability to connect the two ships that cover the Barcelona-Palma line daily will multiply the positive impact of the new system. By stopping their engines during their stay in the Port of Barcelona, these ships will avoid emitting an average of 6.14 metric tons of CO2 per call (2,090 metric tons of CO2 annually).
The terminal is located close to the city, next to Plaça de les Drassanes and less than 200m from the closest houses in the Poble-sec district. The OPS will provide a positive impact for residents, improving air quality in Barcelona and reducing the noise generated by ship operations.
The opening ceremony was attended by the Regional Minister of Territory, Silvia Paneque; the CEO of Grimaldi Logística España, Mario Massarotti; the CEO of Trasmed, Ettore Morace; the operations manager of Puertos del Estado, Pedro García; and the president of the Port of Barcelona, José Alberto Carbonell.
Carbonell said, “This OPS is especially important because it is located at the terminal that is closest to the city. When we talk about decarbonizing port activity, we are thinking about the climate emergency, but above all we are thinking about the quality of life of the people around us. Today is a big step in this direction, but it will not be the last. The Grimaldi Terminal Barcelona OPS allows us to continue moving forward with the Nexigen plan to improve the air quality of our surrounding area and make port activity more sustainable.”
Massarotti stated, “Once again, the Grimaldi Group reaffirms its commitment to sustainable transport. All vessels operating on the Italian market have been equipped with batteries for several years and have been operating with zero emissions in the port since then. This same commitment is shared by Trasmed, the group’s company operating in the Balearic market, which has invested over €1.2m [US$1.3m] to adapt vessels to the OPS system. Thanks to these initiatives, we are proud to be the only group in the Port of Barcelona that operates in this terminal with zero emissions, thus contributing to improving air quality and the well-being of the citizens of Barcelona.”
“We need to understand how difficult it is for large infrastructures to adapt to the energy transition, due to their size and the fact that they involve multiple players,” added Paneque. “It is important to acknowledge the strategy, effort and involvement of the Port of Barcelona with the development of the Energy Transition Plan that it is rolling out as it moves towards its goal of becoming a carbon-neutral port by 2050 and a hub for the production and distribution of green energy.”
García Navarro highlighted, “This initiative represents a significant step for the state port system in the process of electrifying wharves. This new step forward at the Port of Barcelona responds to the commitment of the state-owned port system to sustainability and innovation. The installation that is being launched today, resulting from the collaboration of the entire public sector and private initiative, serves as an example for port precincts, transport chains and the Spanish energy transition.”
Phase one of the Nexigen plan
The launch of the Grimaldi Terminal Barcelona OPS is another step in the Nexigen plan to electrify the main wharves of the Port of Barcelona by 2030. In parallel to the entry into service of the two pilot projects, progress is being made in building a new electrical substation from which a new medium-voltage network will be deployed throughout the port area, including an underwater pipeline to connect the supplies of the Energy wharf and the Adossat wharf, essential for electrifying the cruise terminals. The electrification of the Port of Barcelona wharves is intended to improve air quality around the port area and is a key part of the Energy Transition Plan and the decarbonization of port activity.
In related news, Innovate UK and the UK Department for Transport, together with project partners Forth Ports, Targe Towing, Logan Energy, PlusZero and Waterwhelm, recently showcased what they state is the world’s first Green Hydrogen Shore Power Demonstrator, which uses clean, green hydrogen energy to reduce carbon emissions from vessels when berthed in port. Click here to read the full story.
