The Bilbao Port Authority has put out to tender, for é55.4m, the works for the second phase of its OPS (Onshore Power Supply) project so that vessels can connect to the power grid when berthed, thereby reducing fuel consumption and gas emissions and minimising noise and vibration levels.
The works are scheduled to take 24 months to complete and the deadline for submitting proposals is 31 January. The project, referred to as BilbOPS, is financed by the Bilbao Port Authority and has been awarded a €14.2m grant by the European Commission under the CEF Transport 2021-2027 funding programme. These works form part of the Port’s Energy Transition Plan and are provided for under the objectives of the 2023-26 Strategy Plan to be a green port that drives and supports companies on the road to sustainability.
This second phase of electrification, the most important and ambitious of the two phases, will be undertaken on Docks A1, A2, A6, AZ3, Getxo 2 and 3, or, more specifically, the ferry and Ro-Pax terminal, the terminal for Ro-Ro traffic, the container terminal and the three cruise ship berths. As the works will require the power lines to be upgraded for the facilities to provide 30 MW of power, three distribution centres, 11 transformation centres and 11 OPS connection points will be set up on the docks. To maximise the flexibility of the infrastructure, 20 power sockets will be provided to serve the quayside regardless of where the ships are berthed. To increase the power supply to the cruise ship docks, a 1.34km subsea cable will be run from Santurtzi.
The entire OPS network will be powered by renewable energy, such as PV solar panels distributed over four arrays in different areas of the port, providing 4.25 MWp. The first phase of the electrification of the docks, awarded in December 2023 and focused on Dock A5 of the Central Breakwater of the expansion area, will require an investment of €4.7m, with a grant of €4.3m from the Recovery and Resilience Facility. The new facility is expected to be operational in the first quarter of 2026.
In its report presented at the COP29 Climate Summit held in Azerbaijan, the Resilience4Portsinitiative, led by the International Coalition for Sustainable Infrastructure (ICSI), the global movement for engineering action on infrastructure sustainability, resilience and climate change, recognised the BilbOPS project for its objective of increasing the resilience of natural ecosystems and energy generation. The report details the work that the Port of Bilbao has actively been doing to improve its resilience and adaptation to climate change, focusing on both environmental sustainability and biodiversity.
Image: Port of Bilbao (Bilbao Port Authority)
