The ambitious project to electrify the docks of the port of Barcelona requires much more electrical power than is currently available in the area. The construction of a new electrical substation is the cornerstone of the future plans of the Port of Barcelona. Everything that has to come later at seaside charging points is supported by this critical infrastructure.
The board of directors has approved this Wednesday the tender for its construction with a budget of 14 million euros that includes the drafting of the project, the works themselves and even its start-up and maintenance during the first two years. With the global commission to a single company, the process of its implementation is accelerated, scheduled for 2025.
The new substation will be located on a plot reserved for this purpose next to the Transports Metropolitans de Barcelona (TMB) bus depot, on land between streets A and Z of the Zona Franca.
From there, it will be connected by an underground high-voltage line to the future Red Eléctrica de España (REE) substation, which is already under construction on the other side of the Ronda Litoral, as included in the planning of the 2021 electricity transmission network. -2026. The Port has already received the connection permit from the Government this month. The underground cabling works will require an additional investment of 1.6 million and will allow the port of Barcelona to acquire the status of a large consumer, as is the case with Aena, for example, with the airport.
The substation is the cornerstone of the Nexigen project, which aims to achieve an emission-neutral port. In parallel, it is planned to build the medium voltage network that will reach all the terminals, including an underground connection that will connect the Energia pier with the Adossat, allowing electrification of all the cruise terminals, where up to five vessels can be connected simultaneously . The strategic connection under the sea is expected to materialize in the next board of directors with a budget of 15 million euros.
When the substation and all the wiring are ready, the electrical network must be connected to the systems that will allow the boats to be plugged in at the docks, the so-called OPS (Onshore Power Supply). Although they are the final piece, they will be the bulk of the investment of the 110 million foreseen until 2030 associated with the electrification project.
The first tests in this regard are already being carried out at the Best loading dock terminal, where work will begin in April, and at the ferry terminal, which is about to be awarded. In both cases, they will still work with energy from the distributors in the area, but they will already allow us to know the demand of the ships and test the technology that is later intended to be generalized.
