Valencia begins shore-based power works

The announcement was made jointly by Federico Torres, head of ecological transition at the Port Authority of Valencia (PAV) and Joan Calabuig, president of Valenciaport at the opening of the ‘Electrification of Ports: Projects in Development’ event held on International Environment Day on 5 June.

“This initiative requires an electrical substation, a transformer to adapt the installed power, the circuits to connect the ships and the connection boxes,” said Joan Calabuig.

“It will be a reality very soon and the docks closest to the city will be the first to be electrified.”

The first shore-based power project at the port is slated to cost €11 million and will see the electrification of the Costa-MSC Transversal quay. The second – located at the Balearia and Transmediterránea terminals – will begin in September.

The future objective, said Calabuig, is to connect the system with other renewable energies such as wind power.

“This project, along with many others at Valenciaport, is the basis for sustainable and sustained economic growth in the future,” he said.

During his opening speech, Álvaro Rodriguez Dapena, president of the public body Puertos del Estado, highlighted the technical challenges posed by implementing shore-based power. “On a technical level – the installed power, the current capacity, the adaptation to the supply needed by ships, and other requirements, are a challenge.

“In addition, we must work to ensure that the electricity supply in ports is favourable in terms of price in order to make all the investments viable,” he said.