APM Terminals Barcelona: on the road to equipment electrification

APM Terminals Barcelona held today, together with customers, authorities and employees, the commissioning of 17 Konecranes NSC 644 EHY hybrid straddle carriers. These models use up to 32.5% less fuel than even today’s most modern cranes and will reduce the terminals annual CO2 emissions by 50 tonnes.

At today's event, which marks a significant milestone in the terminal's transition to battery electric equipment, Managing Director of APM Terminals Spanish Gateways, Julián Fernández, highlighted the importance of this 21.4 million euro investment, saying, “it is ,the materialisation of the beginning of our path towards the electrification of our equipment, in line with our global objective of reducing our emissions by 70% by 2030, and to achieve net zero by 2040".

Speaking to guests including local Councillor Ester Capella i Ferré Alvadó, the President of the Port of Barcelona, Lluís Salvadó said, “as one of the main players in the Port Community of Barcelona, it was important that APM Terminals Spanish Gateways was not only involved in the modernisation and decarbonisation of our port, but also leading pioneering initiatives, such as the implementation of hybrid cranes.”

Salvadó ended his speech by thanking APM Terminals for the investment effort it is making in Barcelona. He said, “these investments help us to become an increasingly competitive and sustainable port, supporting the growth of the economy and the well-being of our citizens".

Electrification pilot

In alignment with APM Terminals net zero 2040 goals, APM Terminals Barcelona is already meeting 7.5% of its energy needs through solar panels and will soon achieve its goal of emission neutrality, with the launch of a major electrification pilot project that will test five electric straddle carriers, the first in the Mediterranean. The innovative solution, which APM Terminals is developing for the first time in the world, is supported by the Spanish Government through the Moves Singular Projects II Programme.

The hybrid technology used by APM Terminals Barcelona's 17 new straddle carriers will progressively enter into production, replacing existing older equipment in its 74-vehicle fleet dedicated to container handling in the yard.