• The H2PORTS hydrogen project held its final conference today, bringing together 30 speakers and more than 150 participants in the auditorium of the Port Authority of Valencia.
• The Valencia site is the first and only one in the world to operate daily with a container stacker and a terminal tractor that run exclusively on hydrogen.
• For Mar Chao, president of the Port Authority of Valencia (APV), ‘this project reaffirms our commitment to decarbonisation. It is a cornerstone of our broader strategy to become a zero-emission port.’
• For Antonio Torregrosa, Managing Director of Fundación Valenciaport, ‘at Fundación Valenciaport we continue to work hard to boost the competitiveness of the Port of Valencia through innovation. We are implementing and testing different technologies that have consolidated the port as an international benchmark in sustainability, digitalisation and operational efficiency.’

Valencia, December 3th, 2025.- Today, the Port of Valencia hosted the final conference of the H2PORTS project, a pioneering initiative that has enabled the testing of a hydrogen-powered ReachStacker and a 4×4 tractor unit in real-life operations, as well as a mobile refuelling station for this clean fuel.

The event, which brought together 30 speakers and more than 150 participants and presented the main results of this initiative, took place first in the auditorium of the Port Authority of Valencia (APV) and then at the Muelle de la Xità, where attendees were able to see the prototypes up close.

The opening of the conference featured speeches by Mar Chao, president of the APV; Valerie Bouillon-Delporte, executive director of the Clean Hydrogen Partnership (the project’s funding body); Antonio Torregrosa, managing director of Fundación Valenciaport; Torsten Klimke, head of the Ports and Inland Navigation Unit at DG MOVE; and Juan Manuel Díez, head of Innovation at the APV.

Visit to the pilot projects developed at H2PORTS

During the visit to the pilot projects developed as part of the project, the public was able to see up close the hydrogen fuel cell ReachStacker prototype designed and produced by Hyster-Yale and tested in real operation at MSC Terminal Valencia.

This ReachStacker has been designed to match the performance of its diesel equivalent, both in terms of lifting capacity and operating speed. Its design combines a fuel cell with an electric traction system and independent hydraulic motors, enabling efficient energy management even in the most demanding tasks.

Equipped with four high-pressure hydrogen tanks compatible with international standards, the vehicle can operate for a full shift – and even up to two – on a single refill. In addition, it has received very positive feedback from dockworkers, who highlight its performance, comfort and a quieter, vibration-free and emission-free driving experience.

Attendees were also able to learn in detail about the world’s first hydrogen-powered port terminal tractor unit, converted from a diesel unit. The vehicle conversion was carried out by ATENA with the support of ENEA, the Parthenope University of Naples and Grimaldi Euromed, and was subsequently tested at Valencia Terminal Europa, part of the Grimaldi Group.

It is a prototype port vehicle with a hybrid propulsion system that combines a 70 kW fuel cell supplied by Ballard, a 25 kWh battery and four high-pressure hydrogen tanks, allowing it to operate for a full shift without local emissions.v

One of the main challenges of this pilot was to develop an intelligent energy management strategy that would optimise the combined use of the hydrogen fuel cell and battery, while maintaining efficient and long-lasting performance.

These pilot tests have demonstrated that hydrogen technology can be seamlessly integrated into high-demand port operations, replacing fossil fuels without compromising efficiency, safety or operator comfort.

Finally, participants had the opportunity to see how the hydrogen refuelling station works up close. The location of the two pilot vehicles in different port terminals necessitated a flexible solution: a mobile hydrogen refuelling station. This innovative mobile unit was custom-designed by the National Hydrogen Centre (CNH2) and operated by Carburos Metálicos (part of the Air Products group), the partner responsible for supplying renewable hydrogen for the project.

The refuelling station consists of two subsystems: a fixed unit, which integrates the compressor and storage system, and a mobile unit, equipped with high-pressure cascade tanks and a dispenser.

This solution is capable of refuelling both hydrogen-powered vehicles in a single day, ensuring flexibility, operational autonomy and high safety standards. The station supplies hydrogen at pressures of 300 and 450 bar, with a capacity of up to 55 kg per day and a maximum dispensing speed of up to 3.6 kg per minute, enabling fast and efficient refuelling, one of the main competitive advantages of hydrogen in port environments.

This mobile hydrogen station concept has proven to be technically and operationally viable, offering a scalable model for the implementation of hydrogen in other complex and highly regulated contexts, such as ports.

Hydrogen session in ports

This afternoon, the event will continue with a special session on hydrogen in ports organised by the Clean Hydrogen Partnership, which will present the latest EU strategies and advances in the deployment of hydrogen in port environments. Various ports, such as Hirtshals, Antwerp-Bruges and Venice, will showcase their hydrogen projects and future plans for scaling up to highlight the importance of cooperation and innovation in promoting decarbonised ports.

Commitment to decarbonisation

For Mar Chao, president of the Port Authority of Valencia, “this project reaffirms our commitment to decarbonisation. It is a cornerstone of our broader strategy to become a zero-emission port. We are fully aligned with the principles of the European Green Deal, the Fit for 55 legislative package and the objectives of the Clean Hydrogen Partnership. We envision a port that is not only a key logistics hub, but also a driver of innovation, a living laboratory where industry, science and public policy converge to accelerate the energy transition and lead the shift towards a low-carbon economy.”

Valerie Bouillon-Delporte, Executive Director of the Clean Hydrogen Partnership, highlighted that “H2PORTS is a concrete example of how EU funding and cooperation can accelerate the decarbonisation of critical infrastructure. H2PORTS demonstrates that ports can become catalysts for clean mobility, industrial transition and new energy value chains. The Clean Hydrogen Partnership is proud to have supported this pioneering work, which sets a benchmark for ports across Europe in their transition from pilot projects to large-scale hydrogen adoption. This project also reflects our organisation’s commitment to advancing hydrogen solutions for port operations, ranging from container handling equipment and shore-side power supply from fuel cells to the security of liquid hydrogen supply and the development of integrated hydrogen ecosystems in ports and coastal industrial areas.”

Finally, Antonio Torregrosa, Managing Director of Fundación Valenciaport, emphasised: “At Fundación Valenciaport, we continue to work closely with our cluster to boost the competitiveness of the Port of Valencia through innovation. We are implementing and testing different technologies that have consolidated the port as an international benchmark in sustainability, digitalisation and operational efficiency,‘ adding that ’the availability of European funding mechanisms makes innovation in ports a reality.”

H2PORTS

The European project “H2PORTS – Implementing Fuel Cells and Hydrogen Technologies in Ports” project, coordinated by Fundación Valenciaport in close collaboration with the Port Authority of Valencia and funded by the Clean Hydrogen Partnership programme, has as its main objective to test and validate hydrogen technologies in port machinery that enable applicable and real solutions without affecting the performance and safety of port operations and producing zero local emissions.

The H2PORTS project has involved a total investment of €4 million and, in addition to Fundación Valenciaport and the Port Authority of Valencia, the National Hydrogen Centre and the private companies MSC Terminal Valencia, Grimaldi Group, Hyster-Yale, ATENA Distretto Alta Tecnologia Energia Ambiente, Ballard Power Systems Europe, Carburos Metálicos (Air Products group) and Enagás.

Thanks to this initiative, the Port of Valencia is ready to incorporate hydrogen technologies into its operations.