The Offshore Power Supply System (OPS) is a technology whereby ships docked in a port are connected to the shore power grid. This allows for great savings in greenhouse gas emissions, as well as reducing noise pollution. This system is somewhat more common in other European countries (mainly in the north), but there are few experiences in Spain. Soon, one of them will be in the port of Ibiza, in the Pantalán Sur Botafoc.
Earlier this year, the Balearic Islands Port Authority (APB) had awarded the project to the Mallorca-based engineering and integrated installations company Sampol.
However, the beginning of the works has no date yet. According to what the APB has informed La Voz de Ibiza, a special appeal has been filed before the Central Administrative Court of Contractual Resources (TACRC) and the signing of the contract is pending. At the moment, “the award is suspended by the Court”. The appeal, which is common in tenders of this type, has been filed by Spark, which came second in the bidding.
“We are optimistic in carrying out the works, we believe that the appeal will not move forward. We hope that it will be resolved in the short term,” Pedro Andreu Llull, responsible for the project, told La Voz de Ibiza.
The works
In the event that progress is made with the original contractor, Sampol’s work plan involves a 12-month execution period (from the time of TACRC’s decision) and an estimated budget of 4,689,400 euros.
The project consists of building and installing two OPS substations that will supply electrical energy with higher power (50 or 60 Hz) and with the possibility of providing service at each dock at both low (400V) and medium voltage (11kV). This will allow supplying fast ferry and ferry type vessels respectively.
While each of these stations will be able to supply power to both types of vessels, one substation will be assigned for fast ferries and one for ferries. However, this may change depending on the dynamics operating in the port.
“It has that flexibility depending on the use that is going to be given in the Botafoc South Marsh. Each of these substations will have a specific use in principle, but will serve as a reserve for other types of vessels,” said Andreu Llull, who is a civil engineer.
In addition to the installation of the two substations, the works also involve theextension of the 15kV medium voltage electrical network, theinstallation of a Transformer Station on each of the alignments of the Botafoc South Jetty and the installation of the conduitsand wiring to feed the necessary switchboard next to the jetty.
Despite the fact that the original wording of the APB project also talked about electrical connection to land for cruise ships, these large ships have been left out of the initiative. Even when it comes to the ships that generate the most maritime pollution. “Today the infrastructure on the islands to provide the necessary power to serve cruise ships is not viable. It is a logistical issue,” the port authority had clarified.
Reduced impact on the port
The specialist explained that “these substations are standardized ISO-type containers, inside which the electrical equipment is assembled, such as transformers, switchboards, voltage and monitoring systems. All this is integrated into a container, which once it arrives at the port only needs to be planted”.
This, said Andreu Llull, results in “a much lesser impact on the port”, since “only the port is affected in the civil works of pipelines and foundations, works that we will coordinate with the port’s operations”.
In fact, in Palma, where three years ago Sampol installed a pioneering OPS system in Spain, “the dock was in constant use throughout the work”. In other words, the works are in line with the normal operation of the port.
In order to be able to use the OPS system, ferry or fast ferry type vessels must have certain technology. Several of the vessels are not ready, but, according to Andreu Llull, “simple adaptations can be made, which do not imply a great cost”.
Emission savings
As Sampol explained on its website, the emission of sulfur dioxide (SO2), nitrous oxides (NOx), primary particulate matter (PM), volatile organic compounds (VOC) and carbon dioxide (CO2) “from the national grid generators is much lower than that of the ship’s auxiliary engines.”
At the same time, the OPS system “allows the generators to remain off, avoiding the generation of noise and vibrations”.
Can the emissions savings from such a project be quantified?
According to the Sampol specialist, values can vary greatly depending on the activity of each shipping line. “For example, it depends on whether they spend the night in port. In Palma, a Balearia vessel is connected all night long. If this were not the case, the ship’s engine would be on all night with much higher emissions.”
Although the values, as mentioned, are variable, the consulting firm Inova Labs has estimated the reduction of emissions that the implementation of the OPS system can imply: 96% of nitrogen oxides, 36% of sulfur oxides, 68% of particulates and 45% of CO2.
Lessons
While OPS installations are already recurrent in Nordic countries and Germany, and one of the strategies promoted by the World Ports Climate Initiative for the decarbonization of ports, this type of system is still incipient in the rest of the continent.
In Spain, Sampol installed the first medium-voltage ship shore power infrastructure in a commercial port when it brought the OPS system to the Port of Palma in 2021. It then began work of the same type in Las Palmas, and recently the company has been awarded the contract to provide electrical connection to ships in the Port of Valencia.
In turn, within the framework of the “OPS Master Plan for Spanish Ports” project, works have been carried out or are being executed in ports such as Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Alicante,Algeciras, Barcelona and Cadiz.
Andreu Llull believes that the experience in Mallorca has taught lessons for the implementation of the new project in Ibiza. “We learned a lot from the works in Palma. Not only did we have to learn about European regulations, because they are relatively new facilities, but it has also taught us the execution of working on a working pier. Luckily we have experience in airports and that has served us well, as both are environments with traffic of people and vehicles.”
For the project manager, “the most important thing is not to interrupt port operations. The shipping lines have scheduled departures and arrivals. The important thing is to adapt the work plan so that the impact is minimal. And once the work is finished, coordination with the shipping lines is extremely important to evaluate the operation of the facility and make the necessary adjustments.
