The Port Authority of Valencia has awarded contracts covering energy evacuation systems for a floating solar plant in Valencia and a wave power installation in Sagunto. The projects will connect both renewable sources to existing medium-voltage grids, giving port operators new options for locally generated electricity.
The Port Authority of Valencia is putting renewable power generation directly into its port infrastructure, with two projects that will connect floating solar and wave energy systems to the electricity grids at Valencia and Sagunto.
Under the RENMARINAS project, the authority has awarded APPLUS NORCONTROL S.L.U. contracts covering construction management and health and safety coordination for the two electrical energy evacuation systems. One will connect a floating photovoltaic plant at the Port of Valencia to its existing medium-voltage grid, while the other will connect a wave power installation at the Port of Sagunto.
The two contracts have a combined tender base budget of €192,344.64, including VAT. The floating photovoltaic project accounts for €97,484.42, while the wave power project is budgeted at €94,860.22. Both services have an expected execution period of 13 months.
The projects matter to shipowners and ship managers because port electrification is becoming part of the wider emissions equation around vessel operations. Locally generated renewable electricity can support port energy demand while reducing reliance on electricity generated from higher-carbon sources, although the Valenciaport announcement does not quantify the emissions savings expected from either installation.
The floating solar and wave systems also broaden the range of renewable technologies being tested within the port environment. RENMARINAS covers renewable solutions linked to offshore wind, wave and tidal power and other technologies, with the Valencia and Sagunto projects focused specifically on integrating new generation capacity with existing port electricity infrastructure.
The initiative is funded through Spain’s Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan, financed by the European Union’s NextGenerationEU programme through the Institute for Energy Diversification and Saving.
Port calls and wider fleet decarbonisation strategies, the projects show how the energy transition is extending beyond the vessel itself. The availability and carbon intensity of electricity at ports will increasingly form part of the practical environment in which owners make decisions about vessel technology and operations.
