The award from the National Association of Electric Boats (ANBE) highlights Port Olímpic’s comprehensive plan to contribute to decarbonisation, the shift to electric boating, self-consumption, and the regeneration of the seabed
Port Olímpic was recognised in the Sustainable Ports category at the first edition of the Sustainable Boating Awards. The awards, organised by Spain’s National Association of Electric Boats (ANBE) and presented this Wednesday in Málaga, highlight the approach of the Port Olímpic transformation project, which places environmental criteria at the heart of all the initiatives.
The ANBE award recognises Port Olímpic as one of the country’s leading sports marinas, with pioneering projects in areas such as electric boat charging solutions, decarbonisation, digitalisation, and photovoltaic self-consumption, among others.
Since the start of its transformation process, led by Barcelona de Serveis Municipals (BSM), Port Olímpic has made progress in creating a new urban space that places the blue economy, boating, food, and the sea at the heart of its activities, with environmental action and sustainability criteria as the guiding principles in all these areas.
“The recognition from ANBE reaffirms the Port Olímpic’s commitment to becoming a leading facility and a role model for environmental management, thanks to projects that encourage circularity and energy self-consumption and accelerate the development of sustainable boating”, said Port Olímpic director Olga Cerezo.
Port Olímpic, a leader in sustainability
One of the most iconic projects at Port Olímpic is the installation of a large photovoltaic pergola covering the Culinary Balcony, located at the Moll de Gregal wharf. The 1,500 panels cover an area of 3,560 m2 and contribute to the generation of clean energy for Port Olímpic itself, as well as other BSM facilities located within a two-kilometre radius, such as Barcelona Zoo, the Poblenou Cemetery, and nearby car parks. This initiative makes the Port Olímpic the leader of one of the first shared self-consumption and kilometre-zero initiatives in Barcelona.
The energy generated by the photovoltaic pergola powers another of the Port Olímpic’s strategic initiatives, namely the installation of two ultra-fast charging points from the Endolla network for electric boats. With this initiative, the Port Olímpic is making progress towards its goal of promoting the energy transition in both the nautical industry and maritime mobility, while anticipating the needs of a growing sector.
Other projects that contributed to ANBE’s recognition of the Port Olímpic include the implementation of circular strategies, such as the construction of a groundwater network to save on drinking water consumption, eco-design in the selection of building materials –with a recycling rate of between 80% and 100%– and the use of seawater for cooling in HVAC and ventilation systems.
Port Olímpic is also promoting the restoration of the surrounding coastline, in this case, with the installation of 50 biotopes and 23 gabions on the seabed and on the water’s surface to help local marine fauna and flora thrive. This project is linked to work aimed at highlighting the process of biodiversity recovery and helping raise public awareness about the protection of the sea and its species.
