BEST terminal cuts carbon footprint by 57% y-o-y

The Hutchison Ports BEST terminal in the Port of Barcelona has achieved an emission reduction of 57% in 2022 against 2021, the terminal operator said.

The terminal operator added that it has eliminated scope 2 emissions by opting for electricity from 100% renewable energy.

Guillermo Belcastro, CEO of Hutchison Ports BEST said that by reducing its emission by 57% (following GHG protocol) BEST is almost 10 years ahead of the targets established by the European Union and the International Maritime Organization of 55% and 40% in 2030 respectively.

In its ten years of operations, BEST has managed to reduce 65% of carbon emissions compared to a conventional terminal due to the fact that the terminal is semi-automated and uses mostly rail-mounted electric cranes.

As part of an ongoing energy self-sufficiency project launched in December 2022, BEST has installed 1,832 solar panels on close to half a hectare of roofs of its buildings, capable of generating 1.18 GWh of electricity, equivalent to the annual electricity consumption of about 200 homes.

In addition, in collaboration with the Barcelona Port Authority, BEST is scheduled to provide shore power in 2024.

Namely, the Port of Barcelona has selected Danish company PowerCon to implement a pilot project that will provide electrical power to ships at the BEST terminal.

The contract is part of a larger ‘Phase Zero of the Wharf Electrification Plan’, developed by the Port of Barcelona.

With a planned overall investment of nearly €110 million, the plan is among the key projects promoted by the Port of Barcelona to halve CO2 emissions from port operations by 2030 and become a carbon neutral port by 2050.

The plan, also known as Nexigen, will make it possible to connect ships to the general electricity grid while they are berthed, using clean energy that is generated at the port itself or that is certified 100% renewable.

BEST also expects that the current expansion of the terminal’s storage area will allow 100% of refrigerated containers to be connected to electricity from renewable sources by the end of 2024.

Finally, the group is committed to using rail transport and has helped increase local rail traffic share at the Port of Barcelona from 3% to 20%. This is thanks to BEST’s own rail terminal, investment in inland intermodal terminals in northern Spain (in Zaragoza, Noain, Villafría, Agoncillo and Miranda de Ebro) and the creation of the rail operator, Synergy, which helps to expand the Port of Barcelona’s area of influence.