Bilbao Port Authority awards contract for four solar plants

The Bilbao Port Authority has awarded a contract for the installation of four solar PV projects, which will be incorporated in the Port's Onshore Power Supply (OPS) system.

The €11.4 million ($13 million) contract will see solar PV plants built within the Port service area, namely; in Zierbena Dock (809.6 kWp); on the Santurtzi breakwater (494.36 kWp); in the pre-boarding area of the ferry terminal at the A-6 Dock in Santurtzi (2,424.4 kWp); and in the car park at the Olatua cruise terminal in Getxo (527.12 kWp).

The contract, which includes operations and maintenance, was awarded to a joint venture consisting of; Viuda de Sainz, S.L., Radimer Servicios Energéticos, S.L., Achiles Ingeniería Fotovoltaica, S.L. and Solar 360 de Repsol y Movistar, S.L..

The project must be completed within eighteen months.

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BilbOPS Project

The installations form part of the Port's BilbOPS project, which is designed to allow vessels to connect to the onshore power supply at the ro-ro, ro-pax, container and cruise terminals.

BilbOPS combines power distribution and the production of renewable energy and will include 11 connection points with a power output of 30MW.

The project is being funded by a grant secured from the Recovery and Resilience Facility, the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) and by the Port Authority’s own resources. A loan of €80 million ($93 million) has also been secured through the European Investment Bank (EIB), part of which will be used to finance this project.

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According to the Port Authority, from 2027 onwards, the power to be supplied to vessels at berth will be of renewable origin, supplied by the distribution company contracted by the Port or by the Port’s own power production system.