The president of the Valencia Port Authority, Aurelio Martínez, has spoken at the European Parliament’s Committee on Petitions to explain the project’s compliance with environmental legislation.
The new container terminal does not infringe any breach of the Environmental Assessment Law
València, 01 September 2021 – The president of the Port Authority of Valencia (APV), Aurelio Martínez, today defended before the Committee on Petitions of the European Parliament the compliance of the project for the development of the container terminal in the northern extension of the Port of Valencia with national and European environmental legislation.1
Along the same lines as he has done on previous occasions in front of business, academic and social groups in Valencia, the president analysed the evolution of the project since it began in 2006 and the implications that the modification of the project – always in the water inside the port – could have had in environmental matters. “The Port Authority technicians have studied whether the modification of the original project, proposed to adapt to the changes that have occurred in the maritime sector, could involve any infringement of the sections of Article 7 of the Environmental Assessment Act that would require a new Environmental Impact Statement (EIS), arriving at the conclusion that the EIS of 2007 is in force and a new assessment is not necessary, as subsequently ratified by Ports de l’Estat”, explains the president of Valenciaport.
Aurelio Martínez – in a telematic intervention from the APV headquarters in Valencia, which lasted around 5 minutes – clarified that the project does not fall under the assumptions of article 7.2. c) of the Environmental Assessment Act, which refers to projects that have an EIS in force, and which include a significant increase in atmospheric emissions, discharges into public areas or the coast, waste generation and the use of natural resources, or the impact on Protected Areas of the Natura 2000 Network or on cultural heritage. “With the fulfilment of these assumptions it is not necessary to proceed to a simplified environmental declaration of the modification of the project. As is logical, the APV is incorporating all the observations in technical-environmental matters that accredit the fulfilment of the regulations”, concluded Martínez.
In this sense, between 2008 and 2017, quarterly reports have been carried out as part of the Surveillance Plan approved in the DIA. These reports (10,000 pages) have been sent to Costas and the Ministry of the Environment, without any objection or clarification.
The APV commissioned these reports to the Chair of Ports and Coasts of the Polytechnic University of Valencia (UPV) and their work led to the following conclusions:
- The northern beach of the Port of Valencia is evolving as expected with the presence of the opening works; the beach slopes towards the port with advances in the Cabanyal; the effect of the works has been evident since April 2009, but there are no unexpected effects or effects that could pose a risk to the stability of the beaches to the north of the Port of Valencia.
- The beaches to the south do not show any effect due to the enlargement works, therefore, there are no consequences on the beaches to the south of the Port of Valencia that could mean a risk for the evolution that it has been experiencing for years prior to the beginning and end of the enlargement works.
Aurelio Martínez also reminded the audience that the northern extension of the Port of Valencia, completed and inaugurated in April 2012, obtained European funding of 74 million euros, which shows that the project is of strategic importance, not only for the Valencian Community and Spain, but also for the European Union.
Sustainability and use of the new terminal
The container terminal planned for the inland waterways of the northern extension of the Port of Valencia is a clear example of an infrastructure that combines sustainability and growth. On the one hand, the new terminal will be the most environmentally advanced in the world and, on the other hand, it will contribute to generating employment and wealth in the Valencian Community and Spain. This infrastructure will strengthen Valenciaport’s position in the Mediterranean and its work as a driving force at the service of Spanish economic activity.
“In terms of the environment – explained Martínez – the new container terminal will be a smoke-free space, as it will minimise CO₂ emissions by supplying electric power to the bulk and yard machinery, and to container-carrying vehicles. The project presented by TIL/*MSC to Valenciaport includes the electrification of 98% of the driving components and installations of the terminal; moreover, 100% of the electricity will come from renewable sources, which in turn will imply a 98% reduction in CO₂ emissions”.
In this line, the high level of automation of equipment and operations, the use of advanced traffic prediction systems, the design of the buildings with energy efficiency criteria, and the external lighting system with LED type lights allow energy consumption to be minimised. This project is part of the “Valenciaport 2030, Zero Emissions” objective, which is based on actions that include a firm and firm commitment to the implementation of renewable energies with investments in wind and photovoltaic energy, the construction of a new electrical substation that will allow ships docked in port to be connected to the grid, the implementation of hydrogen projects in port facilities and machinery, and plans to supply LNG to ships.