Port of Bilbao advances shore power project with €11.4M deal for solar PV plants

August 7, 2025, by Ajsa Habibic

Spanish Bilbao Port Authority has awarded a €11.48 million contract for the construction of solar photovoltaic (PV) plants to be integrated into the onshore power supply (OPS) system at the port.

As disclosed, the contract was awarded to a joint venture consisting of four companies: Viuda de Sainz, Radimer Servicios Energéticos, Achiles Ingeniería Fotovoltaica, and Solar 360 de Repsol y Movistar.

The deal, with an eighteen-month deadline, entails setting up four solar PV plants within the port service area:

in Zierbena Dock, with a maximum potential of 809.6 kWp;
on the Santurtzi breakwater, with a maximum potential of 494.36 kWp;
in the pre-boarding area of the ferry terminal at the A-6 Dock in Santurtzi, with a maximum potential of 2,424.4 kWp;
and in the car park at the Olatua cruise terminal in Getxo, with a maximum potential of 527.12 kWp.

It also includes the provision of a comprehensive operations and maintenance service for a period of two years, once the initial construction works are completed.

Port of Bilbao rolls out shore power project to cut carbon footprint

Ports & Logistics

The PV plants are part of the BilbOPS project, which aims to enable vessels to connect to the onshore power supply at the ro-ro, ro-pax, container, and cruise terminals at the Port of Bilbao.

The project involves a series of actions to be taken to produce renewable energy in the Port of Bilbao to power the OPS system, such as the array of PV plants, the wave energy pilot project, and wind power plants.

The scope of this initiative has been designed to include 11 connection points, with a power output of 30 MW. The first phase will be completed in early 2026, with an investment of €4.7 million and a grant of €3.9 million secured from the Recovery and Resilience Facility.

The second phase, which began in 2025 and is scheduled to be completed in 2027, has a budget of €50.1 million, and is financed through Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) funds and by the Port Authority’s own resources. A loan of €80 million has also been secured through the European Investment Bank (EIB), part of which will be used to finance this project.

From 2027 onwards, the power to be supplied to vessels at berth will be of renewable origin, supplied by the distribution company contracted by the Port or by the Port’s own power production system.