The Port of Barcelona and Danish company PowerCon A/S have commenced the construction of an Onshore Power Supply (OPS) system at the MSC terminal on Adossat wharf, representing the first OPS designed for cruise ships in the port, according to Port of Barcelona's release.
PowerCon was awarded the contract at a value of €12,225,000, inclusive of all required civil works and cabling to the centralised distribution centre that will manage the power supply.
The kick‑off meeting took place last week with representatives from the Port’s shorepower unit, led by department head Ana Arévalo, and the PowerCon team under founding partner Peter Castberg Knudsen.
The terminal, opened earlier in 2025, was constructed with sustainability in mind and designed to accommodate OPS installation.
Ana Arévalo stated that “the MSC terminal OPS is scheduled to come on stream in 2027, along with the substation that we will use to deliver 100% renewable electricity to all terminals. It will be a pivotal year for electrification of the Port of Barcelona wharves.”
This OPS is part of the broader Nexigen Plan, which involves an overall investment of nearly €200 million. That plan already entered a critical phase this year with activation of OPS systems at BEST and Grimaldi Terminals, currently in pilot phase serving container and ferry vessels between Barcelona and Palma.
The wider initiative also includes construction of a new port substation and rollout of a medium‑voltage network to electrify all OPS‑equipped wharves.
A major Mediterranean seaport in Spain, the Port of Barcelona is managed by the state-owned Barcelona Port Authority. It is one of Europe's leading container and cruise ports. The authority is implementing the Nexigen Plan, a multimillion‑euro investment programme to electrify its terminals through OPS infrastructure as part of broader decarbonisation and sustainability efforts.
PowerCon A/S is a Danish engineering firm specializing in high‑voltage shore power supply systems (OPS).