The Madeira Port Authority (APRAM) will invest 14.9 thousand euros in a study to improve the energy efficiency of the infrastructures of the Port of Funchal: Gare Marítima, Gare Cais 6, Centro Náutico de São Lázaro and Cais 8.
The perspective, says the president of Madeira Port Authority, Paula Cabaço, is to obtain annual savings of around 35 thousand euros. “Our commitment to the environment and sustainability is very serious, and this is another step towards making the Ports of Madeira more efficient in energy terms, with environmental and economic gains”, highlights Paula Cabaço.
The energy audit will analyze the construction characteristics of buildings and energy consumption related to different uses: lighting, heating, ventilation and air conditioning, computer and electronic equipment. The work, which is already on the ground, will last for three months, and at the end, in addition to energy certification, a report will be presented with a set of measures to reduce electricity consumption and signage of the areas to be intervened.
This study, explains Paula Cabaço, will be an essential working tool, which will allow estimating the investment costs necessary to increase the energy efficiency of port infrastructures in Funchal.
In addition to advancing concrete measures, which may include installing double glazing, reinforcing insulation in key areas of buildings, replacing conventional lamps with LEDs, installing more efficient equipment or using self-consumption systems, the final report will present an estimate of the annual savings values after implementing the measures presented. APRAM predicts a 20 to 25% reduction in energy bills, which, given an average monthly electricity cost of 11,500 euros, means savings of around 2,300/2,800 euros every month. Values without VAT.
“The importance of this process is not limited to the economic factor, as it is part of our environmental sustainability policy, which is based on energy efficiency and the decarbonization of ports”, says Paula Cabaço, remembering other APRAM projects in development that deal with this matter: SHIFT2DC and Green Ports Madeira.
The first is an international project financed with more than 11 million euros by the Horizon Europe Program, which aims to promote economic and sustainable energy alternatives, in which the Ports of Madeira appear as the only European port infrastructure to participate. The second is the result of an investment of 700 thousand euros, applied to studying the feasibility and impact of developing Onshore Power Supply (OPS) and decarbonization infrastructures in ports. The OPS will enable, for example, docked ships to turn off their engines by connecting to the electrical grid, without interrupting the operation of the machines and onboard services.
