Valenciaport has obtained the award by EnerTIC for the Green C Ports project.

Aurelio Martinez: “This award is an international recognition of the work that the port community has been doing for many years for environmental sustainability”.

Green C Ports, coordinated by the Valenciaport Foundation, has received the award in the Intelligent Infrastructures category.

Through the project, new air control cabins are being installed in the Port of Valencia with the collaboration of CEAM.

This year, Valenciaport had already received two environmental awards at the IAPH 2020 World Ports Sustainability Awards.

Valenciaport’s commitment to promoting the environmental sustainability of its installations and becoming a reference port in decarbonisation and zero emissions has received further international recognition. On this occasion the award was granted to the Green C Ports project by the EnerTIC Awards 2020, prizes for innovation and technology for energy efficiency in the digital era, in the Intelligent Infrastructures category.

In this respect, the President of the Port Authority of Valencia (PAV), Aurelio Martínez, highlighted that “this award is an international recognition of the work and commitment that the port community has been carrying out for many years in order to achieve the objective of Valenciaport 2030, zero emissions and to promote clean energies in its surroundings”.

The Green C Ports programme, which is coordinated by the Valenciaport Foundation, aims to achieve, through digitalisation, an increase in the efficiency of port operations, the promotion of the environmental sustainability of the port and the environmental performance of its operations.

Furthermore, Green C Ports also seeks to increase the connectivity of the ports with the city and to reduce the impacts of port operations on it, as well as the improvement of information systems and their interoperability. The project is an initiative co-financed by the European Union through the programme Connecting Europe Facility and which, besides Valencia, is also being developed in the ports of Venice, Piraeus, Bremerhaven and Wilhemshaven.

New environmental sensors

In order to achieve the project’s objectives, the PAV is extending the network of existing environmental and meteorological sensors, connecting them to a port environmental platform where the data obtained by means of artificial intelligence algorithms will be modelled to inform internal users or port clients, among others, about different key environmental parameters related to air quality and noise derived from port activities. This initiative is part of the APV’s strategic plan to promote sustainable development and improve port and ship emissions through innovative solutions.

Thus, for example, through the Green C Ports project, the APV is installing new air control cabins in the Port of Valencia, following the guidelines of the Centre for Environmental Studies for the Mediterranean (CEAM), a foundation of the Generalitat Valenciana for research, technological innovation and improvement of the environment.

Traffic decongestion

In addition, the project will help to reduce congestion in heavy vehicle traffic. In order to fulfil this objective, different platforms, sensor networks and other sources of information will be integrated, making it possible to obtain reliable predictions regarding the date and time of entry and exit of trucks using predictive analysis and artificial intelligence tools.

The European project GREEN C PORTS has already won this year’s IAPH 2020 World Ports Sustainability Awards in the category “Resilient Infrastructure” for its commitment to reducing the impact of port operations on cities and controlling emissions in major European ports. These awards also rewarded the LOOP-Ports initiative a project financed by EIT Climate-KIC whose objective is to facilitate the transition to a more circular economy in the port sector by the creation of a Network of Ports in this field which will provide an ecosystem of innovation around port activity and stimulate the diffusion of circular economy initiatives.

In this respect, other projects such as H2Ports to incorporate hydrogen in port logistics operations with the objective of reducing their environmental impact should be highlighted. This will make Valenciaport the first port in Europe to incorporate this energy in its terminals by 2021. Thus, the President of the PAV recalled “the adhesion to the Valencian Green Hydrogen Strategy recently presented by the President of the Generalitat, Ximo Puig, and recognised by the President of the Government, Pedro Sánchez, in the roadmap on this energy approved by the Council of Ministers to achieve climate neutrality and boost economic recovery”.

EnerTIC Awards

From 2013, the enerTIC Awards will reward innovative technology projects carried out by companies and organisations committed to energy efficiency and sustainability. In this call, both public and private organisations have presented their projects to 15 categories: Digital Transformation, Industry 4.0, Intelligent Infrastructures, Intelligent IT Infrastructures, Smart Territories, Energy Renewable, Smart Buildings, Smart Cities, Smart Data Center, Smart Grid, Smart Lighting, Smart Mobility, Smart Product, Smart Vehicle and Solutions and Services.