Valencia Port — 2024-03-07
Members Corner
The Port Authority of València (PAV) is making steady progress in the construction of its second solar photovoltaic plant located on the roof of the vehicle silo of the VTE concession on the East Dock and its silhouette is already visible at the foot of the port. The installation work began in March 2023 and is expected to be completed in the last quarter of the current financial year (2024).
The aim of this project is for the Port of València to continue to make progress in its sustainable energy development, as this plant will generate approximately 11% of the electricity required by the Port for its operation. In this sense, this project forms part of a joint strategy between the PAV and Grimaldi Group (VTE concession) to advance in the process of decarbonisation and achieve the Zero Emissions Objective in the Valencian docks.
The construction of the photovoltaic plant is the responsibility of the joint venture made up of Lantania S.A.U and Tecmo Instalaciones and involves an investment by the PAV of around €13 m (VAT not included). The project is financed by the European Union’s Next Generation funds and the Spanish Government’s Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan.
27,700 square metres of solar panels
The solar plant is located on an area of 27,700 m2 – equivalent to almost five football fields – on the roof of the terminal operated by VTE, a Grimaldi Group company. The infrastructure will have 10,773 photovoltaic modules installed on a metallic structure inclined at four degrees and facing south. Four transformers will be installed in two transformation centres with two units of 1,250 kilovoltamperes (kVA) each and another two of 1,600 kVA. This installation will generate around 9,000 MWh/year, which represents approximately 11% of the Port of València’s electricity consumption.
In addition to this solar park, the Grimaldi business group has several joint initiatives underway with the Port Authority of València and the Valenciaport Foundation, such as the hydrogen projects or the installation of OPS (Onshore Power Supply) in the Transmed terminals so that the ships can connect to the electricity grid during their stay in the port.
More solar energy
The solar plant under construction located in the vehicle silo of the VTE concession in the East Dock is the second photovoltaic installation awarded by the PAV in the Port of València. The first of these was the plant – which is already being tested – at the Príncipe Felipe dock by the PAVASAL-PAVENER joint venture. This solar park will generate 2,353 MWh/year which is equivalent to 3% of the electrical energy. With these two plants, the Port of Valencia will obtain 14% of its electricity consumption.
Valenciaport is also studying new locations for a third photovoltaic plant in the Valencian precinct which would be larger than the two that have already been allocated. The aim is to increase the use of these clean energies with a view to 2030: zero emissions.
Along these lines, the solar plant of the Port of Gandia, located in ‘Tinglado 4’ on a surface area of 4,500 square metres, with a capacity of 990 MWh/year, is expected to come into operation shortly. This installation will make the Port of Gandia the first European port to be energy self-sufficient.
Commitment to electricity
The sustainable energy development of the Valencian precinct is supported, among other measures, by the transition towards a model that does not require the consumption of fossil fuels, and which is based on the consumption of renewable energies. For this reason, the Zero Emissions: Valenciaport 2030 strategy is based on the model of self-consumption and green fuels.
In this sense, Valenciaport’s commitment to self-generation and consumption of electricity from renewable sources makes it essential to build a new electrical substation to meet the new consumption requirements arising from the plans to provide electricity supply to ships moored in port, which will reduce atmospheric emissions and noise pollution in the port. The tender for this infrastructure has been authorised by the Spanish Government this week and has the support of the European Commission through the CEF (Connecting Europe Facility). The contract for this infrastructure has been tendered for an estimated value of €14.5 m.