The Port of València will be the first port in Europe to incorporate hydrogen technologies to reduce the environmental impact of its terminal machinery operations.

The Port of Valencia will install a green hydrogen supply station at the beginning of 2022. The station will be mobile and will provide the necessary fuel, in the appropriate conditions and quantities to guarantee the continuous working cycles of the equipment forming part of the H2Ports project. The first of this equipment will be the machine or prototype of the Reach Stacker vehicle or “container stacker” which will be powered by this energy and which will be tested at MSC Terminal Valencia.  The second piece of equipment to be serviced by the hydrogen plant will be a 4×4 tractor unit equipped with a fuel cell stack for testing in loading/unloading operations at Valencia Terminal Europa of the Grimaldi Group.

"Valenciaport is working on the European H2PORTS project to apply the use of hydrogen in terminal machinery. To this end, prototypes are being prepared that will be used to test this technology and its contribution to the decarbonization of the logistics and maritime sector," said Juan Manuel Díez, head of Strategic Planning and Innovation of the Port Authority of Valencia. 

The H2Ports project is aligned with the needs and objectives of the European Commission and the port industry. The aim is to provide efficient solutions to facilitate a rapid evolution towards a low-carbon and zero-emission sector. 

"Valenciaport is very active in local and regional initiatives that promote this collaboration, but also at European and world level, which is why we are part of the Clean Hydrogen Alliance and the Global Ports Hydrogen Coalition," said Díez. "In addition, within the framework of the H2 Port project, we have created an advisory group open to more than 65 members and 30 ports from all over the world in which we are working on the construction of the hydrogen value chain for ports."

H2PORTS Project

The European project “H2PORTS – Implementing Fuel Cells and Hydrogen Technologies in Ports” is coordinated by the Valenciaport Foundation and the Port Authority of Valencia, and financed by the Fuel Cell and Hydrogen Joint Undertaking (FCH JU) program. H2Ports will involve a total investment of 4 MM euros and, in addition to the Valenciaport Foundation and the Port Authority of Valencia, the National Hydrogen Centre, and the companies MSC Terminal Valencia, Grimaldi Group, Hyster-Yale, Atena Distretto Alta Tecnologia Energia Ambiente, Ballard Power Systems Europe and Enagás.

The Port Authority of Valencia's initiative for the use of hydrogen in its facilities has already been recognized by the Spanish Government within the framework of the Hydrogen Roadmap and forms part of H2VLC Valencia Hydrogen Valley, in which the City Council of Valencia, the Generalitat Valenciana and the Universitat Politècnica de València also participate.