In the port of Gioia Tauro, the first supply of electricity from the shore grid to a large container ship through the installed cold ironing system in the Calabrian airport. Upon the arrival of the MSC Mirja ship, the capacity of more than 19 thousand TEUs, the technical staff has provided for the connection of the naval unit to the mobile cold ironing system through cables power supply. The technical checks and the interfacing with the electrical cabin, the ship turned off its auxiliary engines and was powered exclusively by the shore power grid, with a total power of about seven MW.

"Today - commented the president of the Authority of Port System of the Southern Tyrrhenian and Ionian Seas, Paolo Piacenza - the port of Gioia Tauro takes a step that marks a Historic moment not only for our airport, but for the entire national port system. A mega container ship turned off the during mooring, receiving energy exclusively from the quay electricity grid. We are not talking about An infrastructure that is simply completed, but a system fully functional and at the service of shipping companies. This result shows how sustainability can translate into concrete innovation and competitiveness. Gioia Tauro continues to anticipate the processes of transformation of the port by investing in technologies that reduce environmental impact and strengthen the attractiveness of the airport more and more efficient, sustainable and integrated with large logistics networks international ones".

To power the ships at berth, the project of electrification of the quays of the System Authority Calabrian Port has aimed to increase the availability of electricity up to 80 MW. This need is accompanied by that of the terminal operator Medcenter Container Terminal which started an ambitious plan to electrify its infrastructure operating for a further requirement of 80 MW. Overall, the project provides for the expansion of the connection to the national grid intended to serve both the Regulatory Authority and Port System is MCT for a total power of 160 MW, a energy availability comparable to the consumption of a city with over 300 thousand inhabitants.