The director of the National Hydrogen Centre, Emilio Nieto, explained that “València is the pioneering and emblematic port in Europe in the development of hydrogen technologies. The H2PORTS project is the first initiative financed by the European Commission for the development of this clean energy and its deployment in ports. There was a lot of competition from other places but the Valencia project was selected because it was the most complete and innovative”. Nieto made these declarations after signing a collaboration agreement with the president of the Port Authority of Valencia, Aurelio Martínez, to promote the implementation of hydrogen in port activities within the framework of this project. Along these lines, the head of Valenciaport assured that “we are going to be the first European port to use hydrogen technologies to reduce environmental impact. One more initiative in our strategic objective of having an energy balance by 2030”.
The president of the PAV announced that the Port of Valencia’s hydrogen plant, the mobile supply station for this clean energy, will be located on the north quay, at the site known as Bracet de la Gità or Xità. With this initiative, Valenciaport is taking a further step towards its 2030 objective of zero emissions and its commitment to making the Port of Valencia the first port in Europe to incorporate hydrogen technologies to reduce the environmental impact of its operations. This station, which forms part of the H2PORTS project, will be mobile and will provide the necessary fuel, in the appropriate conditions and quantities to guarantee the continuous work cycles of the equipment forming part of this initiative. Specifically, the first of this equipment will be the machine or prototype of the Reach Stacker vehicle or “container stacker” which will be powered by this energy and which will be tested at MSC Terminal Valencia. The second piece of equipment will be a 4×4 tractor unit equipped with a set of fuel cells for testing in loading/unloading operations at Valencia Terminal Europa of the Grimaldi Group.
For his part, Antonio Torregrosa, director of the Valenciaport Foundation, pointed out that “Valenciaport is continuing to work on extending the use of hydrogen in other port areas. Initiatives are being studied with pilots, land transport and the shipping company Baleària. In addition, with the firm Stadler, we are investigating the development of a locomotive for internal displacements within the port”.
Valenciaport, a reference in the hydrogen roadmap
Valenciaport is committed to the fight against climate change and decarbonisation through various actions. Green hydrogen is one of the lines of work being carried out by the PAV, which has been recognised by the Spanish Government as a reference in the framework of the ‘Hydrogen Roadmap’. Thus, the APV is one of the institutions, together with the València City Council, the Generalitat Valenciana and the Universitat Politécnica de València, of the ‘Valencia Hydrogen Valley’ strategy to coordinate, create synergies and promote research into green hydrogen in the transport and logistics sector in Valencia and its metropolitan area.
In addition, the PAV has signed an alliance with the Hamburg Port Authority (HPA) to generate projects for this clean energy with the support of the programmes being implemented by the European Union. Valenciaport is very active in local and regional initiatives that promote this collaboration, but also at European and world level, which is why it is a member of the Clean Hydrogen Alliance and the Global Ports Hydrogen Coalition. It has also created an advisory group open to more than 65 members and 30 ports worldwide that is working to help develop the hydrogen value chain for ports.
H2PORTS
The European project ‘H2PORTS – Implementing Fuel Cells and Hydrogen Technologies in Ports’ coordinated by the Valenciaport Foundation, in close collaboration with the APV, and financed by the Clean Hydrogen JU programme, the successor of Fuel Cells and Hydrogen Joint Undertaking, has as its main objective to test and validate hydrogen technologies on port machinery that allow for applicable and real solutions without affecting the performance and safety of operations and producing zero emissions.
H2PORTS will test three pilots in the Port of Valencia: a reach stacker for loading/unloading and transporting containers, powered by hydrogen fuel cells, which will be developed by Hyster-Yale; a terminal tractor, developed by Atena, which will be powered by a fuel cell provided by Ballard; and the mobile hydrogen refuelling station, developed by CNH2. The three pilots will be tested for 2 years after their arrival at the Port of Valencia, in real conditions.
Thanks to this initiative, the Port of Valencia will be the first port in Europe to incorporate hydrogen technologies to reduce the environmental impact of its operations. The H2PORTS project will involve a total investment of 4 million euros and involves the APV, the Valenciaport Foundation, the National Hydrogen Centre, and the private companies MSC Terminal Valencia, Grimaldi Group, Hyster-Yale, Atena Distretto Alta Tecnologia Energia Ambiente, Ballard Power Systems Europe and Enagás.