The Port of Barcelona tenders the electrification of the Moll Adossat

The project to electrify the docks of the Port of Barcelona is adding new milestones. After starting the works to install the first connection point to power ships, the Port of Barcelona's board of directors has approved initiating the tender for the connection between the Energia and Adossat docks, a key step for the deployment of the Nexigen project, endowed with more than 110 million euros.

With a base budget of 15 million euros and an execution period of 28 months, seven buried conduits will have to be built to connect both docks. According to the port, this is a complex work because they will cross the navigation channel, 700 meters long, and will pass at a depth of 32 meters below sea level.

In addition, the Port Authority of Barcelona (APB) emphasizes that these works are necessary to guarantee the arrival of basic services to Moll Adossat, which is being expanded, and to install the medium voltage network that will allow electricity to reach the ships. The opening of the North entrance in 2003 turned Moll Adossat into an island. At that time, a service gallery was built under the North entrance channel to guarantee the arrival of water, electricity and communication services to the dock, but the ongoing expansion of Moll Adossat will require expanding these service networks.

Other pieces of the electrification of the Port of Barcelona's docks that are also advancing are the first two pilots that will allow testing the energy needs of different ships such as container ships and ferries. For the first type, construction work on the new connection point began a few weeks ago at the Hutchison Puerto Best terminal, in Moll Prat, in the southern area of the port, where most emissions are generated. The installation is expected to be completed by the end of the year.

The main task of these points, known as Onshore Power Supply (OPS), consists of transforming the electricity that arrives from the electrical substation into the power required by each ship, taking into account that the voltage varies depending on whether it is a vessel transporting containers, a cruise ship or a ferry.

The second pilot will be carried out at the ferry terminal, the closest to the urban area. Its point is expected to be operational by next year.

Also progressing is the new electrical substation that the port will need to power the docks, whose tender began in February. The future facility, which will be located in the port itself, will be responsible for connecting to the high-voltage grid and distributing energy throughout the infrastructure, allowing ships to turn off their engines and stop burning fuel when docked. With a budget of 14 million euros, the installation is expected to be completed in 2025.