The Port Authority of Bilbao has awarded an €11.48 million contract to a four-company consortium for the construction and maintenance of four solar photovoltaic (PV) plants, marking a major step in its BilbOPS onshore power supply initiative.
The joint venture—Viuda de Sainz, S.L., Radimer Servicios Energéticos, S.L., Achiles Ingeniería Fotovoltaica, S.L., and Solar 360 de Repsol y Movistar, S.L.—will carry out the engineering, construction, and operation of the new PV facilities, which are aimed at supplying renewable energy to vessels docked in the Port of Bilbao. The contract also includes a comprehensive two-year maintenance agreement, with the possibility of a one-year extension.
The PV systems will be deployed at four key locations within the port’s service area. These include:
- Zierbena Dock: 809.6 kWp capacity
- Santurtzi Breakwater: 494.36 kWp
- Ferry terminal pre-boarding zone (A-6 Dock, Santurtzi): 2,424.4 kWp
- Cruise terminal car park (Olatua, Getxo): 527.12 kWp
Together, these installations will feed into the port’s expanding OPS (onshore power supply) infrastructure. Work is expected to be completed within eighteen months.
Renewable Energy as the Backbone of BilbOPS
The PV plants form a critical component of the BilbOPS project, a multi-phase investment to enable shore-to-ship electrical connections at Bilbao’s ro-ro, ro-pax, container, and cruise terminals. The goal? To reduce emissions and improve energy efficiency by allowing vessels to plug into renewable power while at berth.
The first phase of BilbOPS, scheduled to be completed in early 2026, involves the installation of 11 shore connection points with a combined power output of 30 MW. This phase represents an investment of €4.7 million and has already secured €3.9 million in funding from the EU’s Recovery and Resilience Facility.
The second phase, currently underway, stretches from 2025 to 2027 and carries a significantly larger budget of €50.1 million. This stage is being financed through Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) funds, the Bilbao Port Authority’s own capital, and a broader €80 million loan secured from the European Investment Bank (EIB).
By integrating solar energy directly into the port’s OPS system, the Port of Bilbao positions itself as one of the few maritime hubs in Europe actively developing a dual infrastructure model—renewable energy generation alongside power distribution.
A Strategic Push for Emissions-Free Berthing
From 2027, the power supplied to berthed vessels will come entirely from renewable sources. This will either be provided by a third-party distribution company under contract or produced internally by the port’s PV systems.
This strategic alignment with the EU’s climate targets strengthens the port’s environmental performance while also responding to increasing regulatory pressure on maritime emissions. Shore power, often referred to as “cold ironing,” allows vessels to shut down their diesel engines while docked, drastically cutting NOx, SOx, and particulate emissions.
The BilbOPS project also comes at a time when shipowners and operators are facing mounting challenges to comply with the EU Emissions Trading System (EU ETS) for maritime transport, which will begin to phase in shipping emissions from 2026 onwards.
In this context, Bilbao’s initiative could serve as a model for other Spanish and European ports aiming to integrate OPS with local renewable generation—especially as energy security and decarbonization remain top priorities across the logistics and maritime sectors.
The project’s rollout reflects a broader trend of embedding sustainability into port infrastructure, not only as a compliance measure but as a long-term operational strategy. And in this case, it’s being built quite literally from the ground up—with solar panels stretching across docks, terminals, and car parks, delivering cleaner energy directly to the ships of tomorrow.
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