In the Port of Barcelona, the President of Catalonia, Pere Aragonès i Garcia, presided over the inauguration of the first electrical supply system for ships in a container terminal of a Mediterranean port. A launch with which the president assured that “we are once again demonstrating Catalonia’s leadership in Europe as a whole, and especially in the Mediterranean area”, and which once again positions us “as a country that, in the face of global challenges, provides solutions”.

“With this pioneering initiative,” said Aragonès, “we are leading innovation, we are leading the energy transition in Mediterranean ports, we are leading the green transformation and we are leading the fight against climate change”.

In the pilot phase, which will last two years, the Onshore Power Supply (OPS) system, located at the Hutchison Ports BEST container terminal, will enable a reduction of 2,500 tonnes of CO₂ emissions per year from ships arriving at the Port of Barcelona. The President stressed that “this is only the first step”, because the Nexigen project, financed thanks to European funds, “aims to reduce CO₂ emissions by 50% by 2030 and make the Port of Barcelona an emission-neutral area by 2050”.

Specifically, Nexigen has received 200 million euros in investment, and will enable electrification of all the docks in the Port of Barcelona and a reduction in emissions from port activity. This is a pilot project that will provide first-hand knowledge of the needs of this pioneering service and will enable Port of Barcelona clients to be more sustainable and move jointly towards decarbonisation.