Thursday, December 14, 2017 - 11:26 by ce-press
The Port of Rotterdam has laid out its vision for the future in which it aims to become a zero-emissions port by 2050, according to Remco Neumann the port authority’s corporate social responsibility programme manager.
“It’s realistic to expect that industry and logistics will be by that time entirely zero-emission and silent. We presently recognise that growth in the industrial era has had a number of undesirable side effects. In 2050, there will be no more pollution and no negative environmental impact. There’s a growing awareness that it is necessary, and indeed possible, to make this transition,” Neumann said.
As explained, despite the fact that currently only 6% of the port’s operations are powered by renewable energy, this is set to increase exponentially.
Full-electrical container terminals and hybrid vessels, the re-use of residual heat and CO2 and a rapid increase in the use of solar power are already in place. “The port area already accommodates 1.6mW of generating capacity. This is expected to increase ten-fold before the end of 2020.”
The Port of Rotterdam Authority endorsed the objectives of the Paris climate agreement and is straining to reduce CO₂ emissions in line with the ambitions of the Dutch and European governments. In concrete terms, this means that that by 2030, the Netherlands – including Rotterdam – will need to have reduced its CO₂ emissions by 49% compared to 1990.
The Netherlands has the best port infrastructure in the world, according to the World Economic Forum in the Global Competitiveness Report 2016-2017. The Port of Rotterdam Authority invests €150 to €200m annually in its port infrastructure. Soon it will start deepening the Nieuwe Waterweg, the canal connecting the centre of Rotterdam with the North Sea.
