News

Omexom develops OPS system at the Port of Leixões

Expertise

A solution under development in Portugal by VINCI Energies’ Omexom and Actemium brands will allow cruise ships to switch off their engines while at berth, eliminating fuel consumption and significantly reducing the environmental impact of port calls.

Omexom is tackling one of the biggest challenges of the energy transition in the maritime and port sector: electrifying berthing. Together with Actemium — both VINCI Energies brands in Portugal — the team is developing an OPS (Onshore Power Supply) system for the Leixões Cruise Terminal, as part of a strategic project led by APDL – Administração dos Portos do Douro, Leixões e Viana do Castelo (Douro, Leixões and Viana do Castelo Port Authority). The project also draws on the technical expertise of Actemium Brest, in France, strengthening the group’s ability to meet an engineering challenge of high technical complexity.

  • This solution reflects what we believe is the future of ports: cleaner, more efficient and technologically advanced operations. The OPS solution at the Port of Leixões reduces emissions, improves local environmental quality and strengthens the terminal’s competitiveness in the face of cruise lines’ new requirements.

    Gonçalo Sampaio Managing Director Da Omexom Portugal

The solution is simple in concept and demanding in execution: connect ships directly to the onshore electricity grid so they can switch off their engines while berthed. During a port call, which typically lasts several hours, a cruise ship can consume as much energy as thousands of homes — between 50 and 70 MWh. That energy will now be supplied by the onshore grid, eliminating the use of diesel generators and cutting CO₂ emissions by 70% to 90% per call.

  • Project scale
    Project scale

    To meet this level of demand, the system will provide up to 16 MVA of power — enough to supply a small city of 5,000 households — in a phased approach: 8 MVA from the first stage, scaling up to the full installed capacity. On site, the solution includes a shore-side substation, a mobile cable management system (CMS) and a SCADA platform for real-time supervision, paving the way for future centralised port management.

  • Implementing the OPS system at the Leixões Cruise Terminal is a decisive step in the port’s decarbonisation strategy and in improving the relationship between port activity and the city. By allowing ships to connect to the onshore electricity grid, it reduces noise and environmental impact during port calls, which also reinforces Leixões’ position as a modern port, prepared to meet the cruise industry’s new environmental requirements, and accelerates the energy transition in the maritime and port sector.

    João Pedro Neves Chairman of the Board of Directors of APDL

For Omexom, this project is more than a one-off installation: it is the first step in a long-term commitment to APDL, supporting the solution throughout its entire life cycle — from engineering to operation.