The ports of the world navigate at a different pace in the race towards sustainability and the energy transition. They require more global projects and greater investment in infrastructure than ships, in addition to being subject to an administrative bureaucracy that often slows down deadlines. The challenges they have on the table are clear and they involve, in the first instance, improving the quality of the air and its waters, and achieving greater energy efficiency with the use of renewable energies and alternative fuels. The task is daunting and time is running out.
Internationally, the Port of Los Angeles is leading the environmental race. Years ago it implemented the Clean Air Action Plan program (2006) with which it has managed to reduce pollutant emissions into the air by 45%. Vancouver also aspires to become the most sustainable port in the world and due to its natural environment, has focused many of its investments on programs such as ECHO (Enhancing Cetacean Habitat and Observation) in order to reduce underwater noise.
In Europe, the latest figures on CO2 emissions in European ports place Rotterdam at the head of the most polluting – almost 14 million tons of carbon dioxide, according to the latest report from the European Federation Transport
The use of renewable energy, such as wind and solar power, to power facilities and equipment; the use of electric vehicles and bicycles to reduce greenhouse gas emissions; the use of alternative fuels, such as biofuels and liquefied natural gas, to reduce emissions from ships operating at its facilities and the implementation of wastewater treatment and waste management systems to reduce air and water pollution are, roughly, the actions that are being promoted, along with the electrification of ports.
In our country, the business plan of the Port Authority of Valencia contemplates investments up to 2025 worth 1,098 million euros, of which more than 60 million will go to alternative energy projects such as the location of photovoltaic plants and wind turbines . In Barcelona, ​​in addition to the large electrification project of the docks worth more than 90 million euros, the other major investment pole is the installation of solar panels. So far, those installed represent 10 MWp, the equivalent to the consumption of 3,800 families. This has meant an investment of 10 million. But the potential of the port, according to the head of the port’s Environment, Jordi Vila, is much greater and that is where the medium-term objective has been set: 90 MWp that can produce 120,000 MWh/year, the equivalent of the consumption of 35,000 families. . This represents a new investment estimated at 90 million more. Another notable project is the installation of a biogas plant, which would take advantage of the waste generated by the ships and the port itself. According to Vila, “it is about preparing ourselves to respond to the demand for new fuels that the maritime sector will carry out in the coming years.”
