Antwerp Port Authority implementing a sustainable energy policy
The transition to a circular, low-carbon economy is one of the strategic priorities of Antwerp Port Authority. Sustainable energy is an important aspect of this, and recently the Port Authority was awarded ISO 50001 certification for the second time in a row. This internationally recognised standard for sustainable energy management comes in recognition of the Port Authority’s ongoing efforts in this area. A plan has now been drawn up for the next three years to concentrate on energy efficiency and to inspire other companies within the port platform to do the same.
The Port Authority was the first ever company of its kind to obtain ISO 50001 certification, in 2015. Now for the three-year cycle from 2015 to 2017 inclusive, the Port Authority has once more obtained an ISO 50001 certificate, which was officially presented last week by the certification body DNV GL to Mr Greet Bernaers, the Port Authority’s Infrastructure Manager.
The Port Authority has now drawn up an energy policy statement for the next three-year period (2018 - 2020). The ambition is to further improve the energy efficiency of the authority’s own buildings and installations so as to reduce the in-house CO2 emissions by 10 per cent (compared with the 2016 level). In addition, the CO2 emissions of the authority’s own fleet of boats will be reduced by around 5 per cent per tugging operation between now and the end of 2020. Within the Port Authority, an energy team has been set up to be responsible for implementing the energy management, said a release.