'Energy PIONEERS' in the Port of Antwerp

Antwerp Euroterminal (AET), joint venture of the Grimaldi Group and Mexico Natie, is the largest multipurpose terminal in Europe and one of the 24 terminals of the Grimaldi Group. AET is the hub terminal in Western Europe of several of the group's Lines with connections to Northern and Southern Europe, Western Africa and the Americas.

The multipurpose terminal in Verrebroek – specialized in the handling of containers, project cargo, general cargo and all types of vehicles – has been preparing its business operations for years for an energy transition. This week, the physical installation of the third windmill on the AET sites will be completed and, later this year, the installation of a solar panel park on the roof of the Multilevel parking garage – which is currently under construction and to be the largest in Belgium – will commence. The solar panels and wind turbines will ensure that on a daily basis, in ideal conditions, a maximum capacity of 12.6 Megawatts of green energy can be generated on the company site. Of this energy, 10.6 Megawatts come from wind energy and 2 Megawatts from solar energy. The total installed capacity of both energy sources will be 15.6 Megawatt.

In order to ensure that the generated electricity can be used flexibly, regardless of the presence of Wind and Sun, Antwerp Euroterminal has developed a storage strategy within the PIONEERS consortium1 that will allow it to detach power consumption from power production.

Arrival of the first Powerpack for sustainable Energy Management

On Monday 11 April 2022, the first Air Plus Powerpack will be unloaded at the terminal. This powerpack will be used in a test setting where electric cars are being charged during their inspection at import. This way, the cars are fully charged with the green energy from the wind turbines and the energy produced is used locally. This also results in a significant CO2 reduction in the “well to wheel” of the electric cars.

Pending delivery of the remaining battery packs and the completion of the technical infrastructure, an Energy Management System (EMS) from Envision will enable AET to gain a first experience with the optimized coordination of the consumption and production of green energy on site. With the current test, the collaboration between AET, the Port of Antwerp and Envision will be the first collaboration within the PIONEERS project that starts with the implementation phase.

The Powerpack, which is supplied by Air Plus, has a storage capacity of 537 kWh, equivalent to the daily energy consumption of 58 families. A total of 4 Battery Packs will be connected, with a total storage capacity of 2.15 MWh.

The test phase gives AET and Envision the opportunity to further develop the EMS, test on a small scale and connect more measuring devices and energy consumers. As a result, a full-fledged EMS will be ready after the summer period to constantly monitor the entire energy generation, consumption and storage as from Q4 2022, with the aim of making maximum use of the green energy at the terminal.

Sustainability and energy consumption

With the choice for a strategic green energy management project, AET is once again taking the lead in sustainability. The generated electrical energy will be used within the company for the electricity consumption of the operations at the terminal and to charge electric vehicles. But AET also goes further. Together with the Port of Antwerp, plans exist for a shore power supply at the terminal, whereby ships calling at the terminal will be connected to the electricity grid.

With its sustainability policy, AET follows the strategic line of the Grimaldi Group, which is simultaneously making the necessary preparations to equip its ships with a shore power connection. With this, the Grimaldi Group confirms to be an international shipping frontrunner in its efforts to achieve emission reductions within the Port of Antwerp.

With its focus on sustainability, AET recently received a nomination for the Antwerp Innovation Night, which Voka yearly organizes in collaboration with the University of Antwerp. In the recent past, the company experimented with electric Heavy Duty forklifts and terminal equipment running on hydrogen. For the time being, it is not yet feasible to completely ban fossil fuels from Port Operations, but the above described project opens new doors to the future.

Partners of this project are AET, Envison, AirPlus, Grimaldi Group, PIONEERS Ports and Port of Antwerp.

Contacts:

AET: Klaas Van Gasse ​ ​ k.vangasse@aet.be ​ ​ +32 496 69 14 14

Grimaldi: Paul Kyprianou ​ kyprianou.paul@grimaldi.napoli.it +39 081 49 62 46

 

1PIONEERS is an international consortium coordinated by the Port of Antwerp, in which 46 partners work together to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in ports. This collaboration is part of the Green Deal of Horizon 2020, a funding program of the European Commission for science, innovation, research and development.For more info, please visit https://pioneers-ports.eu/

 

 

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About Port of Antwerp-Bruges

With an overall throughput of 271 million tonnes per year, Port of Antwerp-Bruges is a critical hub in worldwide trade and industry. The port is a crucial link for the handling of containers, breakbulk and for the throughput of vehicles. Port of Antwerp-Bruges is home to 1,400 companies and accommodates the largest integrated chemical cluster in Europe. The port provides, directly and indirectly, a total of around 164,000 jobs and generates an added value of 21 billion euros.
 
The ambition for Port of Antwerp-Bruges is clear - to become the world's first port that reconciles economy, people and climate. As well as growing in a sustainable way, the Port also aims to focus on its unique position as a logistics, maritime and industrial centre and to take the lead in the transition to a circular and low-carbon economy. Together with the port community, customers and other partners, Port of Antwerp-Bruges is actively seeking innovative solutions for a sustainable future. High on the agenda is its responsibility for the environment and the surrounding society. 

The port sites of Antwerp and Zeebrugge are operated by the Antwerp-Bruges Port Authority, a limited liability company of public law with the City of Antwerp and the City of Bruges as its shareholders. The port employs 1,800 people. Vice-Mayor of Antwerp Annick De Ridder is President of the Board of Directors, the Mayor of Bruges Dirk De fauw is the Vice-President. Jacques Vandermeiren is CEO and President of the Executive Committee, which is responsible for the port’s day-to-day management. 

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