The Port of Valencia will announce in “the next few days” a new study on the socioeconomic impact of the ports of Gandía, Sagunt and Valencia. As reported yesterday by the president of the Port Authority of Valencia (APV), Joan Calabuig, “the conclusions have a great impact on what it means in the cities and in relation to the administrations”.
The publication of the report, which will be announced in July, will renew the contents of the previous study and, it is assumed, will endorse the arguments of the PAV to carry out the construction project of the North Terminal wharf, pending its approval in the Council of Ministers. Regarding this, Calabuig pointed out that the project is endorsed by all the ministries and that now the only thing missing is the approval of the Government, which “a few days ago expressed the commitment, through the Minister of Science Diana Morant, here in Valencia, to continue processing. There is political will,” said Calabuig.
Calabuig appeared yesterday after the meeting of the Board of Directors of the Port in which the new mayoress of Valencia, María José Catalá, participated for the first time, who did so at the invitation of the president of the Port Authority, since her appointment as a member is still in process of Council.
After his assistance, Catalá defended the expansion of the Port: “The competitiveness of the Port depends on not giving up an expansion that is held back by political issues.” María José Catalá pointed out that “it is very important to commit to the environmental issue, but not colliding the future with sustainability” and assured that “there should be no one in this Community who represents the Valencians interested in other ports gaining our position”.
The position of the first mayor of Valencia represents a 180 degree turn with respect to the previous mayor, since Joan Ribó was always critical of the expansion -the position of Compromís and also of Podem- and even voted against its approval.
The arrival of Catalá supposes an alignment between the Port and the city government. In this line, he highlighted “the positive economic impact that port activity has on the city, on the Valencian Community, and on the entire national territory”, and recalled that “50% of Spain’s GDP enters through the Port of Valencia” .
In the subsequent press conference, Joan Calabuig also explained that the internal railway network of the port of Sagunt will be approved shortly, budgeted at 19.3 million euros and key in the Valencian logistics hinterland, noting that “imminently” it will arrive a hydrogen stacker to the MSC terminal, as Valenciaport is the first port in the world to test the use of hydrogen in real operations. It already uses it in a tractor unit equipped with a fuel cell assembly that is used in the loading/unloading operations of a Ro-Ro terminal and operates a mobile hydrogen station.
Lastly, the Board of Directors approved yesterday its annual accounts for 2022, which show an operating result of 35.8 million euros, 1% more than the previous year, and a ‘cash flow’ of 82.5 million euros. euros, with an increase of 17%. Those responsible for the PAV valued that “the debt continues”: the long-term debt has been reduced from 279.8 million to 252 million and the short-term from 55.9 million to 35.4 million. In total, it closed 2022 with profits of 31.34 million euros, 1.72% more than in the previous year.
