As part of its efforts to decarbonise the ports in the Balearic Islands, the APB has started work on its second shoreside electrical connection point
The port of Alcúdia will have a cold ironing system for ferries
Alcúdia
23/09/2024
The Port Authority of the Balearic Islands (APB) has awarded the contract for the construction of a shoreside electrical connection point for ships in the port of Alcúdia. This will be the second of these systems, known as OPS (or cold ironing), to be installed by the APB in the general interest ports it manages. The technology is already in regular use in the port of Palma, where it reduces the impact of noise and air pollution while the ships are moored in the port.
In preparation for 2030, the APB plans to invest around 100 million euros in electrifying the docks of the five general interest ports to provide power for ferries and cruise ships. In addition to the two mentioned above in the ports of Palma and Alcúdia, the contracts for the installation of two more points in the port of Ibiza and another in the port of Mahón will be awarded shortly.
At the same time, four more points are being planned in the ports of Palma and Ibiza, one more in each of the ports of Mahón and Alcúdia and another in the port of La Savina for the scheduled traffic between Ibiza and Formentera. The European Union is financing 40% of the cost of these investments through the NextGeneration funds.
The president of the APB, Javier Sanz, stressed that the port authority's "decisive push" to electrify the docks is being driven by the fact that it will have a direct effect on the process of decarbonising port operations and, therefore, on "environmental sustainability", but also "on the well-being of the port's neighbouring residents, who will notice a significant reduction in noise when ships are in port".
Alcúdia’s OPS
This September, UTE Infraestructura Elect was awarded the contract for the installation of a shoreside electrical connection point on the Ponent quays in the port of Alcúdia for a budget of 2.6 million euros and with a nine-month completion period. The installation will be able to supply power to ferries at medium voltage (1,600 kW) and will later be completed with another low-voltage connection (800 kW), which will open up the service to fast ferries.
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