The Port of Barcelona is studying the feasibility of building a biomethane plant in its facilities to supply fuel to ships. The port authority plans to obtain this renewable gas from the organic waste generated by vessels, as well as from Mercabarna, restaurants located in the port, and gardening work carried out in the port area.
This was announced on Monday by Xavier Sabaté, head of Environmental Projects at the Port of Barcelona. "We have to fully enter into the production of clean fuels to supply the new ships that will arrive," explained Sabaté, accompanied by the president, Damià Calvet.
According to the port's forecasts, the biomethane plant could have the capacity to produce about 15,900 cubic meters of LNG, which represents 25% of the fuel supplied annually to ships in Barcelona. The production of this renewable gas will be possible thanks to the transformation of between 50,000 and 60,000 tons of organic waste annually.
The production of clean fuels such as biomethane is one of the ways the port authority is promoting to decarbonize its operations. It also bets on photovoltaic energy generation and the electrification of the docks. In the latter case, a total of 110 million euros will be invested to allow vessels to connect to the electrical grid during the time they are moored. It is expected that next year the first ships will plug into the infrastructure that the port is deploying.