The Minister for Transport and Sustainable Mobility, Óscar Puente, during the breakfast briefing organized by Diario del Puerto, in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria

The Minister for Transport and Sustainable Mobility, Óscar Puente, has announced more than €7 billion of investment in the state-owned port system between 2025 and 2029, which will allow these strategic state infrastructures to improve their competitiveness and boost their growth.

This is stated in the investment plan of Puertos del Estado for the period 2025-2029 presented by the head of the department during the informative breakfast organised by Diario del Puerto, in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria. Puertos del Estado is the public body under the Ministry of Transport and Sustainable Mobility in charge of coordinating the Spanish port system, made up of 46 ports of general interest managed by 28 Port Authorities.

During his speech, the minister explained that this 'Horizon 2030' investment framework is the roadmap for the Spanish port system, one of the "great pillars" of transport, competitiveness and the Spanish economy. In this context, he underlined the importance of ports for this country, where the maritime sector "is vital" because nearly 80% of imports and 60% of exports are carried out by sea. Moreover, as a whole, the Spanish port system provides more than 250,000 jobs and nearly €25 billion of economic activity per year.

According to the minister, all these investments in the port system do not depend on the General State Budget. "We can carry them out because they are financed with the port system's own resources, a solid, efficient and sustainable system", explained Puente, pointing out that this planning is independent of the "political calendar".

Within the context of connecting Spain with the rest of the world, he also stressed that in addition to the more than €7 billion in investments in state ports up to 2029, there is also the €13 billion of investment in the Spanish airport network included in the Airport Regulation Document (DORA III), which will regulate the sector in the period 2027-2031, and which has recently been presented by the minister. To this effect, in the coming years, more than €20 billion will be invested in Spanish ports and airports, with the aim of "strengthening the network that connects Spain with the world".

Annual breakdown of investments

During his speech at the informative breakfast, the minister remarked that the €7 billion planned for the state-owned port system until 2029 represents "the biggest investment boost in the last two decades". The annual breakdown is as follows:

• €1.222 billion expected by the end of 2025.
• Some €1.617 million in 2026
• Some €1.699 million in 2027
• Some €1.315 million in 2028
• Some €1.218 million in 2029
  

In this respect, Puente said that in 2026 "the investment plan will be at full speed". The more than €1.6 billion earmarked for investment in ports across the country next year will help to finance major actions, many of which are already underway.

Among these actions, he highlighted the new north terminal in the port of Valencia with an investment of more than €600 million; the developments in the south of the port of Barcelona, one of the most ambitious port projects in Europe, and the new Maritime Station in the port of Algeciras which, together with the electrification of docks and the improvement of rail connections, has a joint investment of more than €300 million.

Destination of investments

Of the more than €7 billion up to 2029 for the state ports, around €4.5 billion is included in the infrastructure chapter. This amount, which represents more than 60% of the total planned investment, will be allocated to the improvement, extension and modernisation of port infrastructures and facilities, with the aim of increasing their capacity and meeting the challenges and needs of demand and of the future.

Second, investments in excess of €1 billion are planned for environmental sustainability projects in ports, reaffirming the key role of these infrastructures as spearheads of the energy transition in Spain.

Third, more than €950 million is earmarked for the development and improvement of road and rail access to the ports, as guaranteeing their connectivity is essential to stay competitive.

Fourth, €335 million will be earmarked for the promotion of port-city projects, planned to bring the ports closer to the citizens and improve their quality of life.

Last, the investment plan is completed by €156 million for the reinforcement and improvement of the security of these infrastructures, and more than €80 million for projects linked to their digitalisation.

"The port of the future is not only a point of arrival and departure, but it is also a space that generates value, innovation and sustainability for the territory as a whole", argued the minister, prior to making this point: "Every euro invested has a clear objective: to build a more competitive, greener and connected port system".

Port Land Accessibility Fund

Linked to these objectives, the minister also underlined his commitment to the promotion of intermodality in state ports. In this regard, he referred to the Port Land Accessibility Fund, a key instrument to improve the connection of ports with rail and the main road network so that goods arriving by sea can continue their journey in the most efficient and sustainable way, reducing logistics costs and CO₂. "This fund mobilises more than €1.8 billion in 58 actions, of which more than €800 million come directly from the port's own resources", detailed Puente.

In this line, the minister recalled that since 2018 "Spain has worked intensively" to integrate its ports into the major European transport corridors, both the Atlantic and the Mediterranean, becoming strategic nodes of the European network. "The extension of these corridors to include more Spanish ports, the improvement of rail access and the creation of intermodal platforms are tangible achievements of these years", he declared.

Investments in Canarian ports

According to the data included in the investment plan presented in Las Palmas, Catalonia is the autonomous community with the largest investment planned up to 2029, with more than €1.5 billion, followed by Andalusia, with around €1.3 billion; the Valencian Community, with almost €1.25 billion; Galicia, with more than €705 million, and the Canary Islands, which will receive more than €607 million.

According to the minister in his speech, the Canary Islands "occupy an essential place in the Spanish port system". In this territory, the ports have a great impact on the economy, representing 3.6% of the Canarian GDP and more than 20,000 direct and indirect jobs.

According to the minister, the Port Authorities of Las Palmas and Santa Cruz de Tenerife have invested close to €1 billion over the last fifteen years. And if we add to this figure the airport area of DORA III, in which more than €1.5 are planned for actions in the Canary Islands' airports, the investment amounts to more than €2.1 billion up to the 2030-2031 horizon, aimed at modernising and reinforcing the ports and airports of the Canary Islands, guaranteeing their role as a strategic hub.

Among the main actions underway in the Canary Islands, the minister referred to the breakwater at the Puerto del Rosario commercial dock and the completion of the Esfinge breakwater. Other port actions planned include the extension of the Reina Sofía Sur dock in Las Palmas and the development of the Ribera dock in Granadilla in Tenerife. Regarding these two, Puente has advanced that in the coming months the tender for both actions, totalling €85 million, will be taken to the Council of Ministers.

Greener ports

Last, the minister presented some of the initiatives being carried out to promote the decarbonisation of ports within the framework of the necessary legislative amendments in the draft Sustainable Mobility Act, and the amendment to the Ports Act.

In this context, he mentioned the deployment of electricity supply to ships, which will allow decisive progress to be made in the implementation of the On-Shore Power Supply system in port docks. This system allows ships docked in port to connect to the electricity grid, thereby moving towards the decarbonisation of ports and transport, reducing polluting emissions from their activity.

Along these lines, he also explained that the reform of the State Ports and Merchant Navy Law contemplates a battery of tax incentives for ships that connect to the electricity grid when they are docked or reduce emissions.

He also referred to the PORT-EOLMAR project, a pioneering initiative in Europe to promote offshore wind power from Spanish ports, and which reinforces the role of the port system as a protagonist of the new green economy.

In short, these initiatives pursue the objective of achieving climate neutrality in the port system by 2050. "Decarbonisation is not a cost, it is a lever for competitiveness, modernisation, and quality of life for those who live and work in the port environment," concluded the minister.

Non official translation