The challenge of decarbonizing maritime transport begins in ports, which not only face their own process of environmental neutrality but have also taken on the role of becoming decarbonization hubs for economic activity. The conference organized by El Canal on October 29, from 10:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at Arrupe Etxea in Bilbao, aims to reflect on the role of ports as decarbonization hubs.
The El Canal conference follows the path of the one recently held in Barcelona, “The obstacles to electrification and new energies in transport and ports,” at DFactory Barcelona, where experts and authorities addressed the main unknowns surrounding this topic and “shed light” on an increasingly current issue.
The adoption of clean energies, the electrification process of docks and companies, and OPS systems point towards the replacement of fossil fuels with renewable energies in the sector. However, the “green path” also presents obstacles and uncertainties: regulations, services, funding, and the correct technological choice.
The Atlantic Arc is a cross-border, interconnected, and highly innovative area that, thanks to its focus on technological evolution, has managed to stand out as a leader in highly specialized market niches. This is the case of the maritime-port sector, in which ports are increasingly playing a driving role in the field of decarbonization.
To shed light on this driving role, the conference will include a cross-border roundtable with the ports of the Atlantic Arc through their presidents: Pascal Marty, president of the port of Baiona; Iván Jiménez, president of the port of Bilbao; Izaskun Goñi, president of the port of Pasaia; and César Díaz, president of the port of Santander.
Each of the port facilities has its own pace and schedules on the path to decarbonization and, although all are moving in the same direction of achieving climate neutrality by 2030, the formulas to achieve the goal are diverse.
The conference will culminate with an intervention by José Ignacio Zudaire, Director of People and Organization, Economic Financial and Institutional Relations of Petronor, a leading company on the green path of decarbonization with a significant presence in ports. Zudaire will present plans, realities, and ongoing projects regarding new fuels and transition fuels, hydrogen production and transport, and cross-border investments linked to decarbonization, among other topics.
Attendance at the conference “Ports as decarbonization hubs” is free, with prior registration, thanks to the sponsorship of the Port of Bilbao and the collaboration of Algeposa, Ateia Euskadi, Brittany Ferries, CSP Spain, Graficolor, IFS, Pasaia Port, Port de Bayonne, Puerto de Santander, Servicios Logísticos Portuarios (SLP), Toro y Betolaza and UniportBilbao.
