APM Terminals has made an industry-leading global commitment to be fully net zero by 2040 across all of its terminals. This fully supports the vision of His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa for a more prosperous and sustainable Bahrain and follows the carbon-neutral commitment made by Bahrain's Crown Prince and Prime Minister, His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa to reduce the kingdom’s emissions by 30% by 2035 and achieve net zero by 2060.
APM Terminals Bahrain will make a significant contribution to achieving this ambition with a ground-breaking solar power project worth approximately BHD3.8 million (USD 10 Million). As a result, in 2024, the port will become Bahrain’s first major infrastructure project to become energy self-sufficient, the regions first and the world’s second fully solar powered seaport.
20,000 solar photovoltaic panels will be installed on roofs and parking areas. They will be capable of generating 18.5 Gigawatts of electricity per year, enough to sustain the terminal now and way into the future. It will reduce the terminal’s carbon emissions by 65%.
This secure, reliable and sustainable source of energy will make Khalifa Bin Salman Port the region’s first fully energy-sufficient seaport. Additional future opportunities for solar energy production at the terminal have already been identified, should the need arise.
This renewable energy source will produce clean and sustainable energy for powering various port operations, including container handling, crane operations, and lighting, setting an example for the entire maritime industry. It will also ensure a healthier and safer environment for employees and the local community living close to the port.
Our achievements will also help our customers meet their sustainability targets, and save them time and money, with the most competitive service at the port, transparency in our systems and visibility and accuracy on their cargo.
In the next decade alone, APM Terminals will seek to buy or retrofit over 1,500 electric Terminal Tractors (eTTs), 500 electric Reach Stackers (eRS), as well as electric Empty Handlers (eEH), electric Top Loaders (eTL), 100 electric Straddle Carriers (eSC) and Shuttle Carriers (eShC) Carriers and 550 Rubber Tyred Gantry cranes (RTGs) for its global operations.
A key challenge facing the company, is the availability of competitively priced heavy-duty equipment such as reach stackers, terminal tractors, empty container handling equipment and straddle carriers. To help stimulate the industry, our US$60 million electrification pilot programme commenced at five container terminals in 2023.
Completion of the pilots is expected early 2025 and knowledge and insights gained from the pilots are likely to drive up supply, encourage the development of industry-wide best practices, and stimulate ongoing development long term. Best practices gained from the pilot will help accelerate equipment electrification at APM Terminals Bahrain.
Despite being one of the world’s largest terminal operating companies, research carried out by APM Terminals for its white paper – Net Zero Ports: The case for electrified container handling equipment - we concluded that to achieve decarbonisation goals in the desired timeframe, we need the whole industry to step up to the challenge.
In 2023, APM Terminals established The Zero Emission Port Alliance (ZEPA) - an industry-wide strategic coalition with the goal of accelerating the journey to zero emissions for container handling equipment (CHE) at ports. Based on research from the recent whitepaper developed jointly by APM Terminals and DP World, the alliance is working to increase industry wide-adoption of battery-electric container handling equipment by making it more affordable, attractive and accessible. This will be achieved through:
At The Annual Global Economics Awards 2023, APM Terminals Bahrain was recognised in the “Most Innovative Decarbonization Strategies” category. This recognition is a huge testament to APM Terminals’ relentless commitment to excellence and innovation in the maritime industry.
But this is just the first step to reduce our carbon emissions and we will be rolling out more projects in the future to reduce our energy consumption and speed up the electrification of our terminal operations.
APM Terminals Bahrain, the operator of Khalifa Bin Salman Port, has officially announced the launch of a ground-breaking solar power project worth approximately BHD3.8 million (USD 10 Million), which will make the port energy self-sufficient by the end of 2023.
APM Terminals Bahrain made a positive impact at the inaugural TMS Transportation and Climate Change Conference held in Abu Dhabi this week.
APM Terminals Bahrain has been recognized in two impressive categories at The Annual Global Economics Awards 2023.
