The Port of Barcelona will invest €110 million in its Nexigen project to decarbonise port activity and improve air quality. €90 million of these funds correspond to the investments that will be made in OPS (onshore power supply) systems to connect ships to the general electricity grid while they are berthed, using clean energy that is certified 100% renewable. The additional €20 million are needed to roll out the network that includes the Port Substation, the high-voltage connection to Red Eléctrica's Ronda Litoral Substation and roll-out of the medium voltage network throughout the port precinct.
The objective is for the Port of Barcelona to have electrified all the cruise berths, the Prat wharf, and the ferry terminals of the Sant Bertran dock and the Costa wharf by 2030, thereby removing 66,000 tonnes of CO2 and 1,234 tonnes of NOx from port activity emissions. In the long term, the electrification of the docks of the Port of Barcelona will be a key element in achieving the goal of becoming a climate-neutral port by 2050.
Wharf electrification is a complex process that takes time to achieve. 240 kilometres of cable will be laid, and 20.5 kilometres of ducts will extend to the terminals. The Port of Barcelona plans to make the first electrical connections of ships to the BEST container terminal and the Barcelona Ferry Terminal between the end of 2023 and the beginning of 2024.
