Air quality

Sources of emissions (A_05)

The main causes of a drop in the port's air quality are related to dust and particulate emissions

The main emission hotspots and their relevance are broken down below⁴:

1. Cleaning and paint hulls: (Calculated as the number of concessions that clean and paint hulls outdoors)
2. Works
3. Emissions from truck box with no canopy
4. Storage of solid bulk outdoors: (Calculated as the number of concessions that store solid bulk outdoors).
5. Handling solid bulk suing conventional means: (Calculated as the number of companies with stowage licence that move bulk by means of bucket/conventional hopper/lorry or bucket/stored-on-wharf/shovel/lorry or lorry/conventional-conveyor-belt).
6. Handling bulk using uncovered: special systems. (Calculated as the number of companies with uncovered or partially covered freight transport continuous systems). 
7. Emissions from moored vessels and cruise ships
8. Emissions from vehicle engines
9. Industrial activities at concessions: (Calculated as the number of concessions where the industrial activities imply emissions channelled to the atmosphere).
10. Other activities (specify which)

⁴ Order of relevance Score the order of relevance of each hotspot from 1 upward, until all the significant hotspots present in the port or ports are covered.

Complaints or reports of atmospheric emissions (A_06)

The Huelva Port Authority has a specific procedure to examine and manage environmental complaints, which arrive at a register or by e-mail on a website channel. This means that any suggestions or complaints are officially registered, and the department concerned is then notified to address the issue and reply to the user.

In 2019, even though no formal complaint was received, one local resident was concerned about the emissions from the Ingeniero Juan Gonzalo Wharf. In 2019, two formal complaints were received through the Register and were processed according to the established procedure.

The Port Authority continued to be involved in monitoring environmental aspects related to the port operations and of the concessionary companies.

Measures adopted by the Huelva Port Authority to control emissions (A_07)

The measures implemented were:

1. Best practices guides and voluntary environmental codes.
2. Direct supervision on the wharves by Port Authority technicians.
3. Signing best practices agreements
4. Sprinkling systems for bulk stockpiles and roads.
5. Wind speed information and warning systems
6. Maintenance of the installation of a fixed sprinkling system in the storage area of the Ingeniero Juan Gonzalo and Ciudad de Palos wharves.
7. Mobile sprinkling system and intensive cleaning of spillages on roadways.
8. Maintenance of the plant barrier to contain particulates.
9. Maintenance of stations and equipment to control and monitor air quality.
10. Maintenance of the air quality forecast system, which allows alerts to activate the emission prevention measures or relevant good practices in situations where exceeding legal limits or particulate levels or potentially polluting scenarios with impact on sensitive areas are envisaged.
11. The plant windbreak.

Air quality control stations (A_08)

With regard to controlling air quality, there is an air quality prediction system by means of an app developed under a “Safe & Green Port” R&D&I project which provides a daily simulation. This is a very useful tool for the monitoring work of the Port of Huelva’s Environmental Police, as well as to make decisions regarding measures to be adopted.