The Western Ligurian Sea Port System Authority announces that it has completed the first portion of the foundations that will host the transformation cabin and the infrastructure that will accommodate the four transformers intended for the complete electrification of the cruise and ferry terminals in Genoa.
The port authority states that, in parallel, work is underway on the second part of the slab that will receive the electrical panels, while the prefabricated structures of the cabin are under construction. The physical installation of the cabins is scheduled for next December 2025. This will allow the start of the first electrification tests on Ponte Dei Mille Ponente and Ponte Andrea Doria Ponente, the cruise sector docks, by March 2026. “Once the electrical connections and functional tests of the two docks are completed, the ‘Cold Ironing Genova Add-on’ project will be under implementation,” explains the Director of the Technical and Environmental Area, Fabrizio Mansueto.
The system will allow ships at berth to be powered directly from the national electricity grid, eliminating the need to use onboard generators. The immediate benefit will be a significant reduction in emissions of CO2, NOx, and fine particulate matter, which will contribute markedly to improving air quality and the livability of the surrounding neighborhoods. The initiative, the port authority’s note highlights, aligns perfectly with European policies for the decarbonization of transport.
At full capacity, the infrastructure will provide a power of 60 Mw, allowing the simultaneous electrical connection of all units berthed in the cruise and ferry sectors. Furthermore, the possibility is envisaged for the future of powering the system through a port smart grid based on renewable sources, particularly photovoltaics.
This technical advancement, communicated by Palazzo San Giorgio, comes in a context marked by previous slowdowns. As already highlighted in November 2024 by an investigation by SHIPPING ITALY on this topic, the timeline for the electrification of the passenger terminal had accumulated a significant delay: the December 2025 deadline for the cruise works had already been indicated at that time and highlighted a delay of about two years compared to the initial forecasts of the contract signed in 2022.
The major critical issue concerned the ferry (ro-pax) docks, whose emissions are at the center of protests by local committees. At the end of 2024, the fate of these piers was still uncertain, with the Adsp having requested, and obtained, new Pnrr funding of 32 million euros for the ‘Cold Ironing Genova Add-on’ project.
Although the current announcement does not specify whether the March 2026 deadline for functional tests also extends to the ro-pax ferry docks, it declares as an objective “to guarantee the simultaneous connection to all berthing bridges for ships in the ‘cruise and ferry’ sector thanks to the 60 Mw”, and suggests that work is underway for a full integration of the system.
