The cornerstone of the electrification project for the port of Barcelona is a large substation from which all the necessary energy will be supplied to the boats docked at the docks. After receiving prior approval from the Board of Directors of the Barcelona Port Authority in February and authorization from the Council of Ministers in July, the work has gone out to public tender with a budget of 14 million euros.
The tender includes in a single document both the drafting of the project and the execution of the works and the subsequent maintenance and operation of the substation during the two years after its construction, which is expected to be in operation throughout 2025. Those responsible of the drive to decarbonise the port have opted for this turnkey format, leaving the entire project and its start-up in the hands of the same company, to speed up the process and not delay the actions that are linked to the entry into service from the substation.
The new facility, which will provide more power than is available today, will be built on a plot of land in the port of Barcelona next to the Transports Metropolitans de Barcelona (TMB) depot between streets A and Z of the Zona Franca .
In turn, the port's own electrical infrastructure will be connected by an underground high-voltage line to the future Cerdà substation (220 kV) that Red Eléctrica de España (REE) is already building on the other side of the Ronda Litoral. Said union will require an additional investment of 1.6 million and will turn the port of Barcelona into a large electricity consumer, just as the El Prat airport already is.
In parallel to the two substations, the medium voltage network will also be built, which must transfer electricity from the central node to the different port terminals, also including the underground connection that will reach the Adossat dock, thus bringing the plugs for boats to all the cruise terminals, where when the time comes, up to six vessels can be connected simultaneously.
It is these systems that allow the engine to be turned off, the so-called OPS (Onshore Power Supply) the bulk of the investment estimated as a whole at about 130 million euros until 2030. Those responsible for the plan to make the port an emission-neutral infrastructure – baptized as Nexigen – are working on the technical processing prior to the bidding for these connections, of which the first tests will be carried out in the Best terminal of the loading docks and in the ferry terminal.
