APM Terminals (APMT) has increased the power supply from 20kv to 66KV at its terminal at the Port of Algeciras to improve the stability of the electrical supply and enhance safety and productivity.
In a statement, APMT said the $3.51 million (€3.2 million) project was designed and managed in full by APM Terminals Algeciras, with support from The Port Authority and Algeciras Polytechnic School (University of Cadiz).
The terminal will now be able to take advantage of 100% of the energy regenerated by the cranes, in addition to monitoring the quality of the electricity supply – which comes from renewable sources – and consumption.
The change in the voltage level will mean a 20% annual saving for the terminal, as well as an added value in terms of safety, because disruptions and sudden stops of the machinery will be reduced and the 20KV power line will be available as an auxiliary supply.
“We have used the most efficient brands and an optimal design to avoid, for example, the use of electric pumps in the transformer pit,”said APMT Algeciras Engineering Coordinator, Juan Jesús Lara.
“In addition, it is now possible to take advantage of 100% of the energy regenerated by the cranes,” Lara added.
Engineering and Procurement departments planned the project in three phases: a new 20 MW substation in Isla Verde Exterior, three 4 km supply lines to terminal, and a new hub, which has been integrated into the container stacks.
The substation is supplied from the existing 66 KV network in Isla Verde, which comes from the El Cañuelo substation. The 20 KV power line remains as an emergency supply.
APM Terminals Algeciras’ Chief Operating Officer, Jesús Cáceres, stated that the connection to 66KV marks “a milestone in the more than 30 years of the terminal’s life”, as it ends the possibility of suffering network disruptions and machinery stoppages, “and also looks to the future, with a new electrical network capable of supporting the latest generation of technologies in machinery”.
