Port accessThe Board of Directors of the Bilbao Port Authority has today awarded, for almost 50.1 million euros, the execution of the works for the new electrical infrastructure of the Port of Bilbao for the connection of vessels to the power grid. The works have been awarded to the joint venture formed by the companies Sampol Ingeniería y Obras, Comsa Instalaciones y Sistemas Industriales and Montajes Eléctricos San Ignacio.
With this project, vessels will be able to switch off their auxiliary engines when they arrive at the port, thereby reducing greenhouse gas emissions, minimising noise and vibration levels and contributing to the energy transition and the decarbonisation of maritime transport. The works are the second and most ambitious phase of the electrification of the port, centred on Docks A1, A2, A6, AZ3, and Getxo 2 and 3, which house the terminals for containers, ferries, ro-pax and ro-ro traffic, and cruise ships.
As part of the works, the power lines will be upgraded for the facilities to provide 30 MW of power. For this to be so, three distribution centres, eleven transformation centres and eleven OPS connection points will be set up on the docks. To maximise flexibility, 20 power outlets will be made available for service provision regardless of where vessels are berthed at the quayside. Likewise, to increase the power supply at the cruise ship docking area, and as the terminal is in the urban area of the town of Getxo and very far from an electricity substation, a 1.34 kilometre subsea cable will be run from Santurtzi.
The second phase of the works is scheduled for completion within 24 months, once the construction project has been drawn up and approved, and will therefore be completed in 2027. The works will be part-financed by the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF Funds) and the rest by the Bilbao Port Authority itself. An 80 million loan has also been secured with the European Investment Bank (EIB), part of which will be used to finance this project. The energy consumed will come partly from renewable sources, such as an array of solar PV panels, the project for which has been put out to tender for 15.6 million euros.
The electrification of the docks of the Port of Bilbao is being carried out in phases. The first phase, already underway, was awarded in December 2023, and focuses on the electrification of Dock A5 of the central breakwater of the expansion. It will require an investment of 4.7 million euros, with a 3.9 million euro grant from the Recovery and Resilience Facility, and is expected to be operational in the first quarter of 2026.
In total, the planned investment in this strategic project will exceed 100 million euros. The project falls within the framework, on the one hand, of the objectives set out in the 2023-2026 Strategy Plan to be a green port that drives and supports companies on the road to sustainability, and, on the other hand, forms part of the Port of Bilbao Energy Transition Plan as a vehicle for decarbonisation towards a carbon-neutral scenario in the port by 2050.
