Port of Barcelona taps PowerCon for first OPS system for cruise vessels

May 8 ------ The Port of Barcelona has selected Danish equipment provider PowerCon to build its first onshore power supply (OPS) system for cruise ships under a deal valued at €12.2 million (around $13.8 million). 

As disclosed, the OPS is planned to be installed at Terminal H of Adossat wharf, which is under concession to Swiss maritime transportation giant Mediterranean Shipping Company’s (MSC) arm, MSC Cruises. The terminal has been operational since the beginning of this year. It is understood that the system will be the first to operate while connected to the new medium-voltage network, envisioned to be deployed throughout the Barcelona Port to electrify the main wharves. The flagship of this network, the port substation, is anticipated to come on stream in early 2027. 

Together with the underwater drilling between the Energy and Adossat wharves—presently being built—the solution could allow sufficient supply to electrify cruise terminals, the port has said. “The construction of the first OPS for cruise ships represents an important qualitative leap in the electrification of the wharves of the Port of Barcelona, the key element in the decarbonisation of port activity, which is now entering its decisive phase,” Port of Barcelona president José Alberto Carbonell highlighted. 

According to the port, Powercon’s role will be conducting civil engineering works and rolling out the cabling to the distribution center from which the energy supply is going to be managed. At the beginning, the OPS substation supplying energy to the cruise vessels in the MSC terminal will reportedly be installed in the distribution center, though spaces are said to have already been reserved to support up to five more onshore power supply systems. As informed, from there, the OPS will be connected via underground cabling to the facilities in the MSC terminal. 

Moreover, similarly to the solution installed at the BEST container terminal, which was unveiled in July last year, and to the Grimaldi Terminal Barcelona, the latest addition to the Port of Barcelona’s infrastructure is described as being specifically designed to be compatible with the terminal’s operations, particularly as the MSC terminal was allegedly constructed with the equipping of the OPS in mind. 

To remind, Barcelona saw another development within the electrification sphere last year. Namely, in December 2024, global operator APM Terminals revealed that its Barcelona terminal had welcomed the Mediterranean region’s first electric straddle carriers. The initiative was backed by around €3 million from the Spanish government. 

Source: offshore-energy.biz