Valenciaport has announced its commitment of zero emissions by 2030.
Aurelio Martínez, president of the Port Authority of Valencia (PAV), spoke during a conference the port arranged on the occasion of World Environment Day. He commented that the port’s goal is “to be two decades ahead of the targets for decarbonization and the reduction of greenhouse gases that Spain, Europe and international organizations have projected for 2050.”
Martínez highlighted that the government of Valencia has approved a project for an electrical substation equipped with two 30-megawatt transformers, which will allow ships to plug into shorepower and will reduce emissions accordingly. Also, the new north terminal of the port will operate 99% with renewable electricity, which, he said, will also be available in the Port of Gandía via a solar energy plant.
Martínez also pointed out the port’s commitment to support quality employment, encourage innovation towards sustainable projects and favor collaboration with private enterprise. Companies located in the port area will also benefit from electric power supplied from renewable sources, which in turn will generate 2,000 jobs in the region.
“For the PAV, it is a priority to make economic growth and employment generation compatible with absolute respect for the environment,” he added.
With the support of the Valenciaport Foundation, PAV said it is helping companies such as Baleària to adapt their ships for LNG; and companies such as Grimaldi and MSC Terminals are already working on pilot projects that will enable their port equipment to run on hydrogen.
PAV is also working with Baleària to developed tools for measuring, predicting and defining initiatives to improve the quality of air and noise generated in the port, according to Martinez. To this end, he said, innovative measurement equipment is being installed to carry out emission and noise monitoring in the docks and along several logistics chains with which predictive models will be designed to anticipate emission and noise peaks and facilitate appropriate actions.
The conference was organized to demonstrate the environmental commitment of the ports of Valencia, Sagunto and Gandia,
