The President of the Government appreciates this initiative, coordinated by the ValenciaPort Foundation, “because it will make the Port of Valencia the first in Europe to use hydrogen-powered port vehicles”
Also taking part in this conference were the Government’s Vice-President for Ecological Transition, Teresa Ribera, and the Secretary of State for Energy, Sara Agesen
The H2Ports project will help to decarbonise operations, facilitate the reduction of emissions and encourage the creation of a renewable energy system
The President of the Spanish Government, Pedro Sánchez, has placed the H2Ports project in ValenciaPort as a reference point within the framework of the Spanish energy strategy to combat climate change. In this sense, Sánchez has indicated that this initiative “will convert the Port of Valencia into the first in Europe to use hydrogen cell powered port vehicles”. This statement made during the Conference ‘Renewable Hydrogen: An opportunity for Spain’, highlights the work being carried out by ValenciaPort in favour of climate neutrality.
The President of the Government also highlighted the contribution of this type of initiative to “help meet two challenges: to make the ecological transition and to act as an engine for economic recovery. Likewise, they will allow operations to be decarbonised, facilitate the reduction of emissions and favour the creation of a renewable energy system”. The Vice-President of the Government’s Ecological Transition Department, Teresa Ribera, and the Secretary of State for Energy, Sara Agesen, took part in this conference.
The application of hydrogen in the transport and logistics sector is one of the fundamental axes of the “Hydrogen Road Map: a commitment to renewable hydrogen”, as highlighted during the conference. The ValenciaPort initiative recently approved by the Government at the proposal of the Ministry for Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge (MITECO) aims to deploy this sustainable energy, which is key to Spain achieving its goal of climate neutrality.
On the road in 2021
H2Ports is a pilot project for the area of mobility and maritime transport that is being carried out in the Port of Valencia to incorporate hydrogen into port logistics operations with the aim of reducing its environmental impact, and which will make Valenciaport the first port in Europe to incorporate hydrogen energy into its terminals by 2021. H2Ports is one of the five ongoing initiatives highlighted by MITECO in the field of hydrogen whose relevance has been recognised through the granting of public funding from state or European funds.
The project allows testing three pilots that will operate in the Port of Valencia: a hydrogen-powered reach stacker for loading/unloading and transporting containers; a terminal tractor head for ro-ro operations, powered by hydrogen cells; and a mobile hydrogen supply station that will provide the necessary fuel to guarantee the continuous work cycles of the above-mentioned equipment. The project also has as a cross-cutting objective to carry out feasibility studies for the development of a sustainable hydrogen supply chain in the port, coordinating all the actors involved: customers, hydrogen producers, suppliers, etc. H2Ports is the result of a public-private collaboration and has the participation of the APV, the Valenciaport Foundation, the National Hydrogen Centre and the companies MSC Terminal Valencia, Grimaldi Group, Hyster-Yale, Athens, Ballard Power Systems Europe and ENAGAS.
The National Hydrogen Centre (CNH2) is currently developing the hydrogen supply station (which will guarantee the supply of this fuel, under appropriate conditions, during the simultaneous operation of the other two pilots to be tested throughout the project: a Reach Stacker, for MSC Terminal Valencia, and a 4×4 terminal tractor, at Valencia Terminal Europa of the Grimaldi Group, both powered by fuel cells.
The initiative, which has a total investment of 4 million euros and is financed by the Fuel Cell and Hydrogen Joint Undertaking (FCH JU) programme, will test and validate hydrogen technologies on port machinery with the aim of having applicable and real solutions without affecting the performance and safety of port operations and producing zero local emissions. H2Ports has been internationally recognised with the GREEN4SEA Port Award 2019 in environmental matters.
Valenciaport, Roadmap partner
Valenciaport was one of the entities that actively participated in the consultation carried out by the Ministry for the development of this national strategy to promote this green energy. The “Hydrogen Road Map” establishes a series of objectives to make this renewable energy a key sustainable solution for the decarbonisation of the economy and to achieve climate neutrality by 2050, an objective that in the case of the Valencia Port Authority (APV) is anticipated twenty years ahead with its plan “2030, zero emissions”.
The Council of Ministers approved this Hydrogen Roadmap on 6 October, which forms part of the Integrated Energy and Climate Plan (PNIEC) 2021-2030, which includes 60 measures and sets national targets – in line with the European Hydrogen Strategy – for 2030. This document favours “the development of renewable hydrogen that will encourage the creation of innovative industrial value chains, technological knowledge and the generation of sustainable employment, contributing to the reactivation towards a green economy with high added value”.