Roel Nieuwenhuis visited the hydrogen plant of the Valencian precinct, a pioneering project in the port system which has aroused the interest of the Dutch ambassador

The president of Valenciaport, Aurelio Martínez, explained to the Dutch representative other initiatives such as the solar plants or the proposal to install wind turbines

 The start-up of the first active hydrogen plant in a European port has attracted the attention of the media but also the interest of other countries with important port and logistics facilities that want to know in detail this project. This is the case of the ambassador of the Netherlands in Spain, Roel Nieuwenhuis, who visited the Port of Valencia facilities to discuss with the president of the Port Authority of Valencia (PAV), Aurelio Martinez, the environmental sustainability projects being developed by Valenciaport.

The head of the Port of Valencia explained to the Dutch ambassador the services and projects being developed by the Valencian precinct to strengthen its position as a strategic hub in the Mediterranean, especially the actions to achieve the objective of being an emission neutral port by 2030, such as the project for the use of hydrogen H2Ports.

The Ambassador of the Netherlands toured the supply station for this clean energy at the Port of Valencia, located on the Xità quay, and the mobile hydrogen plant used to supply fuel to port machinery. An example of good practice and an initiative that highlights the port community’s commitment to the use of clean energy. The Port of Valencia is the first European site to have this installation operational for its use. In fact, the storage tank is already loaded with hydrogen and the next few weeks will see the arrival of two prototype vehicles – a container stacker and a tractor unit – which will test this clean fuel.

In addition, Aurelio Martínez explained other initiatives such as the photovoltaic plants to be located in Valencia and Gandia; the two electrical substations for the ships to connect to the grid and switch off engines when they are in port; the wind power installation for the generation of electrical energy in the Valencian area; the GREEN C PORTS project, whose aim is to reduce the environmental impact of port operations in the cities and control emissions in the main European ports; or the use of Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) as a fuel together with Baleària.

During the meeting, they reviewed the investments that the PAV is making in the ports of Valencia and Sagunto in railway matters, a commitment of the port community and the Spanish government to reinforce train-port intermodality to increase the percentage of goods that are moved by train.

The meeting was also attended by the head of Ecological Transition of the PAV, Federico Torres, the director of the Economic Department of the Embassy of the Netherlands, Clara van Willigen and the Consul of the Netherlands in Valencia, Eric Nolte.