The port of Valencia will be the first port in Europe to use hydrogen energy in its container terminals to reduce the environmental impact of its operations.
A reach stacker for the loading and unloading of containers and a terminal tractor will be the first port vehicles powered by hydrogen batteries in a European port.
The pilot project, which has been funded with 4 million Euro and been backed financially by the Fuel Cell and Hydrogen Joint Undertaking program (FCHJU), counts with the participation of the Port Authority, the Valenciaport Foundation, the National Hydrogen Center, MSC Terminal Valencia, the Grimaldi Group, Hyster-Yale, Atena, Ballard Power Systems Europe and ENAGAS.
As reported by Valenciaport in a statement, the initiative is promoted by the Port of Valencia and is part of its strategic plan for the development of renewable energy.
The pilot project, called H2Ports, also includes the installation of a mobile hydrogen supply station, which in the initial phase of the project will be operative in the Grimaldi (Valencia Terminal Europa) and MSC terminals of the Port of Valencia.
This station will be developed adhering to safety and economic profitability criteria and aims to contribute to the reduction of the carbon footprint of the logistic-port chain.
The public-private entity FCHJU is the European body that promotes the adoption of hydrogen as a low-emission alternative and receives support through the Research and Innovation programs Horizon 2020 of the European Union, Hydrogen Europe Research and Hydrogen Europe.
In 2017, within the framework of its energy strategy, the Port of Valencia introduced the use of hydrogen and fuel cells as alternative energy sources. The objective is to constantly manage to reduce emissions.
The strategy got a clear boost in June 2017, when the Port Authority and the Valenciaport Foundation signed a collaboration agreement with the FCHJU for their participation in the Regions and Cities initiative. The aim was to promote the use of hydrogen and fuel cells in the Port of Valencia.
With the aforementioned agreement, APV and the Valenciaport foundation joined more than 88 regions and cities from 22 countries of the European Union that have already signed this memorandum. The list includes the cities of London, Reykjavik, Venice or Hamburg and the regions of Pays de la Loire or North Rhine-Westphalia, among others.
The H2Ports project will make it possible to test these new prototypes in real operations at the terminals of Grimaldi and MSC, thus becoming the first European port facilities that will use hydrogen-propelled machinery.
Hydrogen energy is an alternative energy source that can be used instead of coal or oil. Unlike fossil fuels and biomass, hydrogen does not pollute the planet.
When burned, carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide are released into the atmosphere; however, when hydrogen is burned, it combines with oxygen in the air, diffusing into water.
Source: EFE