The President of the Port Authority of Valencia reaffirms the commitment of the Port with “concrete facts that are included in our Investment Plan such as the construction of the electrical substation”

“We are two decades ahead of Spain’s targets for decarbonisation and greenhouse gas reduction with our 2030 target, zero emissions”

Valenciaport has held a conference on the occasion of World Environment Day where specialists have addressed issues such as reducing CO2 emissions, decarbonization, use of hydrogen or the use of LNG

València, June 5th, 2020.- Valenciaport is in the front line of investment against change and the climate emergency, we are a model port in the implementation of sustainability actions, with a plan committed to benefit society, the economy and future generations. Our commitment is firm: 2030, zero emissions”, said Aurelio Martínez, President of the Port Authority of Valencia (PAV). For this reason, he stated that it is essential that “we all work together, companies, workers, port community, institutions, administration… to make climate concerns and respect for the environment compatible with economic development to move forward, otherwise we may fail”.

The president of the PAV has inaugurated, together with Antonis Michail, director of IAPH for the International Program of Sustainability in Ports and José Luis Muñoz, general director of EIT Climate-KIC Spain the webinar organized by Valenciaport in the framework of the “World Environment Day”. Antonis Michail, has pointed out that “Spanish ports are very involved in the participation in IAPH projects and active in the presentation of proposals. In fact, two projects from the Port of Valencia are competing for the Association’s sustainability awards”. For José Luis Muñoz, Director General of EIT Climate-KIC Spain, “Valenciaport is taking the lead in the O target in emissions, highlighting the commitment and involvement of the entire port community”.

Aligned with European objectives

During his speech, Aurelio Martínez referred to the various plans launched by institutions such as the European Commission, such as the New Generation EU initiative or the funds allocated by the Multiannual Financial Framework 2012-2027, the MITECO Climate Change and Energy Transition Bill, all of which are aimed at promoting the circular economy, the promotion of renewable energy, the reduction of emissions, the encouragement of local employment, the promotion of clean transport and logistics,… “These are concerns and proposals for solutions that we all share and which are perfectly aligned with the Investment Plan and the strategic objectives of the Valencia Port Authority”, stressed Aurelio Martínez.

The President of the PAV recalled that the objective of Valenciaport and what it is working towards is “to be two decades ahead of the targets for decarbonisation and the reduction of greenhouse gases that Spain, Europe and international organisations have projected for 2050. We are a model port in actions in the face of the climate emergency with a plan committed to concrete actions”. Along these lines, Martínez highlighted that “the Government of Valencia has just approved the project for an electrical substation equipped with two 30-megawatt transformers, which will allow us to connect the ships berthed in the port to the network and reduce emissions accordingly. Also, the new north terminal of the Port of Valencia will operate 99% with renewable electricity, something that will also be a reality in the Port of Gandía with the photovoltaic energy plant that we are going to build”.

Employment, sustainability and innovation

Throughout his presentation, Aurelio Martínez highlighted the commitment that Valenciaport is making to generate quality employment, encourage innovation towards sustainable projects and favour collaboration with the business world. In this sense, the president of the APV has indicated that “the companies that will be located in the ZAL where they will have the maximum electricity of renewable origin, a project that will also generate 2,000 jobs of proximity that will benefit neighbourhoods like Nazaret. For the PAV, it is a priority to make economic growth and employment generation compatible with absolute respect for the environment”.

Within this framework, the Port Authority of Valencia, with the support of the Valenciaport Foundation, is helping companies such as Baleària to adapt their ships for LNG; and companies such as Grimaldi and MSC Terminals are already working on pilot projects that will allow the machines in their terminal yards to work with Hydrogen. Likewise, and together with Baleària, the Green Ports project is being developed with the aim of measuring, predicting and defining measures to improve the quality of the air and the noise generated in the Port of Valencia. To this end, innovative measurement equipment is being installed to carry out emission and noise measurement campaigns in the dock and along several logistics chains with which predictive models will be designed to anticipate emission and noise peaks and take action in this regard.

Top level specialists

The Conference continued with the participation of different top level specialists and with topics of great social and business interest: reduction of CO2 emissions, decarbonization, use of Hydrogen and LNG as fuels, and implementation of European legislation to guarantee the improvement of the environment. The meeting, which has brought together more than 120 people through the portal of the Valenciaport Foundation, is part of the World Environment Day was established by the United Nations Organization (UN) on 15 December 1972. It has been celebrated on June 5th every year since 1974, when the Stockholm Conference began in 1972, the central theme of which was the Environment.

On World Environment Day, the Port Authority of Valencia, together with the companies in the port community belonging to the ports of Valencia, Sagunto and Gandía, want to show their commitment to improving the environment by displaying a series of initiatives aimed at reducing the impact of port activities on the environment.