Valenciaport to inject $1.5bln into new low-emission terminal

The Port Authority of Valencia (PAV) has approved the construction project for the container quay of the north extension of the Port of Valencia worth around €1.56 billion ($1.58 billion).

As explained, the new container terminal will be in the inland waters of the breakwater of the northern extension of the Port of Valencia. PAV is preparing to launch a tender for the works, which will involve a public investment of €542.7 million by Valenciaport.

Valenciaport technicians are already working to comply with each and every one of the 21 observations and conditions made by the Directorate General for Coasts in its favourable report on Compatibility with the Marine Strategy on the construction project.

Furthermore, the Italian/Swiss firm Terminal Investment Limited (TIL) will invest €1,02 billion to build what will be the fourth container terminal in the Port of Valencia.

TIL, part of the Swiss shipping giant MSC Group, will be responsible for the construction and operation, under an administrative concession, of the new container terminal.

This container terminal project will have a surface area of some 137 hectares and 1,970 metres of berthing line, with a capacity to hold 5 million containers. The terminal will have the latest design, technology and equipment, with a fully electrified facility, allowing it to serve the large container ships in service, with high performance in both maritime and land operations, according to the Valenciaport.

Specifically, the project presented by TIL/MSC to Valenciaport includes the electrification of 98% of the driving components and installations of the terminal.

In addition, 100% of the electricity will come from renewable sources, which in turn is expected to imply a 98% reduction in CO2 emissions.

In this line, automation, the use of advanced traffic prediction systems, the design of the buildings with energy efficiency criteria, and the external lighting system with LED-type luminaires are expected to minimise energy consumption.

In its project, TIL has made an important commitment to intermodality and wants to offer to develop a railway terminal equipped with six 1,000-metre-long tracks, with the capacity to move 305,000 TEUs/year by rail, according to the PAV.

Moreover, the project will see a significant economic impact both during the construction phase and when it comes into operation.

According to the study on the impact of the new Container Terminal of the Northern Expansion of the Port of Valencia carried out by the Institute of Transport and Territory (ITRAT), with the new terminal fully operational, the economic impact of the port of Valencia will represent in terms of added value 2.27% of the whole of the Valencian Community and employment will exceed 44,000 jobs. Overall, the port of Valencia will represent 2.2% of all employment in the Valencian Community.

Recently, the PAV also approved the second photovoltaic plant project to be located at the Grimaldi-operated Valencia Terminal Europa vehicle storage facility, in line with its target of becoming a zero-emission port by 2030. The 14% of the electrical energy consumed by the Port of Valencia will be generated self-sufficiently with the two solar plants to be installed in the port precinct.