The Port System Authority of the South Adriatic Sea has signed a contract worth 488mila euro for the completion of architectural and engineering services related to the final design for electrification interventions of the quays planned in the ports of Bari and Brindisi. The project provides for the realization of a network of systems for the supply of electrical power from the shore to the ships during the mooring stage, so as to minimize the use of the onboard auxiliary engines for energy self-production electrical needed, significantly limiting CO2 emissions, nitrogen oxides and fine dust, as well as the acoustic impact. In addition, the realization of electrical power generation facilities from photovoltaic source, partial coverage of the energy needs arising from the activation of the cold ironing systems.

In particular, two berths will be electrified in the port of Bari at the Darsena di Ponente. The Pugliese port institution specified, which considered the docking frequency of the two types of utterances identified, it was established to size the plant considering the contemporaneity of two ro-ro/ro-pax vessels or, alternatively, a ship ro-ro/ro-pax and a cruise ship, and will be installed a 16 MVA power converter with exits at 6 ,6/11 kV.

Two berths at the Punta delle Terrare quay will be electrified in the port of Brindisi. The plant will be dimensioned in such a way as to ensure the simultaneous supply of two ro-ro/ro-pax vessels through the installation of a 6.5 MW power converter with 11 kV output also provided for a future expansion of the plant that also allows the docking of cruise ships.

In addition, the project envisages the realization of two photovoltaic plants, one in the port of Bari and one in the port of Brindisi, whose electricity generation will support the system of electrification of quays, decreasing its requirements energy, and will also be employed to integrate and meet the varied needs of the port scopes (cold chain, public lighting, port operations, etc.), making the berth more attractive, with power supply from the ground, by knocking down the costs borne by shipping companies.

The economic amount of the project is financed under the CAP 2014/2020 (Program of Action and Complementary Cohesion to the PON Infrastructure and Networks 2014-2020), to which the Port Authority of the South Adriatic Sea was admitted to financing, ranking in second place, out of 14 presented.