SUSPORT – Sustainable Ports
The goal of the "SUSPORT" project is to improve the level of environmental sustainability and energy efficiency in ports within the programme area through the enhancement and improved cooperation of key stakeholders – institutions and in long-term management activities in this area of work on both sides of the Adriatic Sea. Specifically, all ports covered by the project, after exchanging best practices, analyzing the current situation and developing action plans in terms of environmental sustainability and energy efficiency, will proceed to implement their pilot activities as partners.
Pilot activities of partners from the Dubrovnik-Neretva County include changes in the Port Authorities of Ploče and Dubrovnik. Through the project, the Port Authority of Ploče will replace existing lighting in the port area with LED lighting, install protective barriers and sensors, and install a new, more energy-efficient air conditioning system. The Port Authority of Dubrovnik will replace existing lighting in the port area with LED lighting, and the Dubrovnik-Neretva County will acquire a more energy-efficient vehicle. Finally, project results will be promoted through the development of a cross-border joint strategy on environmental sustainability and energy efficiency, which is expected to be successfully applicable in other ports, both within and outside the programme area.
In addition to the listed partners from the Dubrovnik-Neretva County, the remaining Croatian partners are: Port Authority of Rijeka, Port Authority of Split, Port Authority of Zadar and the Intermodal Transport Cluster Rijeka. The role of lead partner on the project is held by the North Adriatic Sea Port Authority – Trieste, while the remaining Italian partners are the Economic Development Community Friuli, North Adriatic Sea Port Authority – Venice, International University of Venice, Institute for Transport and Logistics – Bologna, Central-Northern Adriatic Sea Port Authority, Ravenna, Central Adriatic Sea Port Authority – Ancona, Development Agency of the Chieti Chamber of Commerce, South Adriatic Sea Port Authority – Bari and the Friuli-Venezia Giulia Region.
SUSPORT was contracted as a strategic project under the INTERREG Italy-Croatia CBC Programme 2014–2020 cross-border cooperation programme. The total project budget is €7,142,000.00, and the budget of the Dubrovnik-Neretva County amounts to €260,000, of which 85 percent is co-financed through the European Regional Development Fund, while 15 percent of the budget represents the share of own funds.
The Port Authority of Dubrovnik is implementing the INTERREG V-A Italy – Croatia CBC Programme 2014–2020 cross-border cooperation project in the total amount of €440,000, of which EU grant funds amount to €374,000 or 85% of the value, by introducing new LED lighting to the port area of Dubrovnik – Gruž. The European Regional Development Fund approved €7.1 million for the project called SUSPORT – Sustainable PORT's. These funds have been approved for development projects that will increase environmental sustainability and improve energy efficiency of ports in the Adriatic. This is an Italy-Croatia cross-border cooperation project that started on July 1, 2020 and will end on June 30, 2023. In addition to the lead partner, the Port Network Authority of the Eastern Adriatic Sea, fifteen other project partners participate, of which 8 from Italy and 7 from Croatia.
As one of the Croatian partners, the Port Authority of Dubrovnik is implementing through the project the reconstruction of outdoor lighting which includes a total of 122 lighting fixtures, of which 35 are LED luminaires and 87 are LED floodlights. The outdoor lighting reconstruction includes a complete replacement of lighting fixtures with more efficient LED light source fixtures. By replacing existing solutions used in public lighting, the Port Authority of Dubrovnik will reduce energy consumption, improve lighting technical parameters and traffic safety conditions, reduce potential risks of environmental pollution due to the use of environmentally unacceptable lighting fixtures, and prevent light pollution. By replacing existing lighting fixtures with LED lighting fixtures, the installed power will be reduced by approximately 51%. The projected consumption of old lighting at 4,100 operating hours per year is 310,288 kWh. New lighting should consume 151,130 kWh for the same time period.
This achieves savings in electricity consumption for a one-year period of 159,158 kWh.
