Daniel Ruiz, environmental consultant of IDP, has participated in the conference “The decarbonisation of ports and terminals”, held on Wednesday 22 March at the headquarters of Port de Barcelona, which discussed the regulations on decarbonisation and energy transition of the European Union.

The event presented the most important actions being carried out at the Port of Barcelona to achieve the decarbonisation objectives, for example, renewable energy generation projects and energy communities, the Negixen project to connect ships to the electricity grid while they are in port (onshore power supply) or the penetration of alternative fuels such as hydrogen, methanol or ammonia in the maritime industry.

On the new regulations relating to decarbonisation and energy transition in the European Union, Daniel Ruiz, detailed the importance of the European green pact and the “Fit for 55” legislative package that affects all European regulations relating to climate, energy, transport and taxation and which is constantly changing so that all areas can achieve the decarbonisation objectives. Specifically, the main aspects affecting the port community were summarised, such as the Fuel EU Maritime Regulation, the revision of the Alternative Fuels Infrastructure Directive, EU ETS emissions trading, the Energy Taxation Directive, the revision of the Renewable Energy Directive, the RePowerEU Plan or the emission limits set by the new Euro 7 regulation for light and heavy vehicles.

Since 2016, IDP has been providing technical assistance to the Port of Barcelona in various European projects on the development of infrastructures and pilots for the implementation of liquefied natural gas (LNG), as well as initiatives related to new fuels and renewable energy. These projects are aligned with the different actions that the Port of Barcelona is implementing to minimise the impact of port activity on the environment and contribute to its development under criteria of economic, social, and environmental sustainability.