The Port of Barcelona advances in the electrification of the Adossat Wharf for cruises

The electrification of the docks of the Port of Barcelona takes a new step. The Port's Board of Directors has initiated the process to tender the construction and commissioning of the first system that will allow connecting cruise ships to the electrical grid. This will be through the first Onshore Power Supply (OPS) point to be located at a cruise terminal in the port of Barcelona. Specifically, it will be installed in the future MSC terminal, which is currently under construction at Moll Adossat. The tender, pending validation by the Council of Ministers, foresees a budget of 14.5 million euros.

The OPS system allows supplying electricity to moored cruise ships, which enables them to shut down their engines and, thus, reduce the emissions they generate. This point will be the first to be connected to the medium voltage network that will be enabled to electrify the main docks of the infrastructure, with the Port's Nexigen project.

The budget of 14,524,755 for the tender includes the drafting of the project, the construction and commissioning of the systems, as well as their maintenance and operation for the first two years. Once the project is awarded, the OPS is expected to be operational two years later, so the electricity supply to cruise ships is expected to begin in 2026.

The electrification of the docks is part of the Port's strategy to reduce its environmental impact, which also includes the promotion of fuels such as liquefied natural gas (LNG) and the installation of photovoltaic panels, among other measures.

Connection between docks

Also as part of the Nexigen project to electrify the port, the Board of Directors has awarded the construction of a battery of seven underground conduits that will connect the Energia and Adossat docks. This infrastructure will allow the connection of OPS from the cruise terminals to the medium voltage network that will supply them with electricity. The connection will cross the navigation channel, passing 32 meters below sea level, and will have a length of 700 meters.

The works have been awarded to the UTE formed by Naviera Dedalus and Catalana de Perforacions for 14.9 million euros. With an execution period of 28 months, they will also allow the expansion of the general services network of the Moll Adossat, which requires greater supply capacity due to its expansion to accommodate cruise ships, which have been moved from the docks closest to the city to move away the pollution they generate. The last cruise ship to depart from the docks located near the more urban area sailed in October from the Barcelona Nord terminal, near the World Trade Center and which will now be open to the public.

Another of the port areas that will also soon be open to Barcelona residents is the Moll de Pescadors. The Board of Directors has precisely called for bids for the 15-year concession of the restaurant in the new Llotja de Pescadors, which will have more than 300 square meters and will open in summer. The new establishment will contribute to revitalizing an area of the Port Vell that was previously of restricted access. It will do so coinciding with the America's Cup, in one of the multiple transformations on the Barcelona coast that are being developed to host the competition.