The Port Authority of Valencia (PAV) has reported progress with the construction of its second solar photovoltaic plant located on the roof of the vehicle silo of the VTE concession on the East Dock.
The installation work began in March 2023 and is expected to be completed in the last quarter of the current financial year.
According to PAV, the aim of this project is to make progress in its sustainable energy development, as this plant will generate approximately 11 per cent of the electricity required by the port for its operation.
In this sense, this project forms part of a joint strategy between the PAV and Grimaldi Group (VTE concession) to advance in the process of decarbonisation and achieve the Zero Emissions Objective in the Valencian docks.
The construction of the photovoltaic plant is the responsibility of the joint venture made up of Lantania S.A.U and Tecmo Instalaciones and involves an investment by the PAV of around €13 million ($14.2 million).
The project is financed by the European Union’s Next Generation funds and the Spanish Government’s Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan.
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The solar plant is located on an area of 27,700 square metres on the roof of the terminal operated by VTE, a Grimaldi Group company. The infrastructure will have 10,773 photovoltaic modules installed on a metallic structure inclined at four degrees and facing south.
Four transformers will be installed in two transformation centres with two units of 1,250-kilovolt amperes (kVA) each and another two of 1,600 kVA. This installation will generate around 9,000 megawatts per hour (MWh) per year, which represents approximately 11 per cent of the Port of València’s electricity consumption.
In addition to this solar park, the Grimaldi business group has several joint initiatives underway with the Port Authority of València and the Valenciaport Foundation, such as the hydrogen projects or the installation of OPS (Onshore Power Supply) in the Transmed terminals so that the ships can connect to the electricity grid during their stay in the port.
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The solar plant under construction located in the vehicle silo of the VTE concession in the East Dock is the second photovoltaic installation awarded by the PAV in the Port of València.
The first of these was the plant at the Príncipe Felipe dock by the PAVASAL-PAVENER joint venture. This solar park will generate 2,353 MWh/year which is equivalent to 3 per cent of the electrical energy. With these two plants, the Port of Valencia will obtain 14 per cent of its electricity consumption, the port reported.
