Pioneering electricity supply at Palma port in Mallorca

Electricity supply for ships in Palma, Mallorca

The first trial was on Monday.

Majorca Daily Bulletin reporterPalma18/12/2021 10:29

Sampol Energia has created the first medium-voltage ship-to-shore electricity connection at a Spanish commercial port. The Mallorca-based company has built an offshore power supply (OPS) substation in Palma to supply electricity to ships moored at the Peraires dock. One of the junction box connections is for medium voltage, the other for low voltage.

Through using electricity while moored, gas emissions and noise will be reduced. The engineer in charge of the project, Pedro Andreu, says that "this is a very important step in the electrification of the power supply of ships when they are in port". "They traditionally use their auxiliary motors to produce electricity during loading, unloading and parking operations, emitting pollutants that directly affect air quality."

This pioneering project is part of the OPS plan for Spanish ports. Under this, companies will receive a subsidy to offset the higher cost of electricity compared with fossil fuels and the cost of new electrical equipment for ships.

Last Monday, the Balearic Ports Authority and Sampol carried out the first tests with the Baleària ferry Eleanor Roosevelt. The entire installation will be put into service at end of this month. Andreu explains that other companies will need to adapt their ships.