Day: 19 February 2024

Nice Côte d’Azur Airport has big plans to electrify its ground operations and potentially reduce its carbon footprint by 6,700 tonnes of CO2 a year thanks to funding from the European Union’s Alternative Fuels Infrastructure Facility programme to the tune of €4.1 million.  

The Aéroports de la Côte d’Azur group, which manages the airports in Nice, Cannes-Mandelieu and Saint Tropez, has set itself the ambitious goal of becoming net-zero-without-offsetting by 2030. One way that target could become a reality is by electrifying ground operations. 

The €4.1 million grant, financed by Caisse des Dépôts and recently confirmed to be heading in Nice Côte d’Azur Airport’s way, will help move the international travel hub another step in the right direction. Additional funding of €4.6 million through quasi-equity from the Banque des Territoires will also be at the airport’s disposal. 

The funds will help electrify 69 remote airplane stands through the installation of 50Hz sockets to supply parked aircraft with power during ground operations. Airport authorities says this will “actively contribute to reducing CO2 emissions from aircraft during turnaround at the airport as this will significantly reduce using fuel-based ground handling equipment or using the aircraft’s auxiliary power units (APUs) during ground handling operations”. 

The Aéroports de la Côte d’Azur group is also planning to add charging stations to run the airside vehicles and equipment by 2026.  

“This project to electrify ground services at Nice Côte d’Azur airport is emblematic of the key role played by airports in decarbonising the aviation sector,” said Richard Ferrer, Head of the Alternative Fuels sector at the European Climate, Infrastructure and Environment Agency (CINEA). “Thanks to the grant from the European Union and financing from the Banque des Territoires, this exemplary project, supported by local stakeholders, will make a very tangible contribution to achieving the objectives of the Green Deal for Europe.” 

The European Green Deal is a set of proposals aimed at making the EU’s climate, energy, transport and taxation policies fit for reducing net greenhouse gas emissions by at least 55% by 2030, compared to 1990 levels. 

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Photo by Monaco Life  

Behind the masts of yachts and sail boats bobbing in the harbour, the cliffs of Fontvieille are alive with birdsong and the flapping of wings.  

A fascinating variety of birds, from kingfishers and Peregrine falcons to cormorants and Mediterranean shags, have made their homes in these rocks and now they are to be the focus of a special public awareness event that is being organised by the Department of the Environment later this month.

On the morning of Wednesday 28th February, groups of up to 15 people at a time will be invited to take part in a series of discovery sessions in the area. Using binoculars, which can be borrowed from the department, to avoid disturbing the birds, expert ornithologists will teach participants about the range and diversity of species living in Monaco and point out, from a safe distance, the cherished nesting sites of the Principality’s resident Mediterranean Great Cormorants.  

Discussions on the local birdlife will be held following the tours with the input from an ornithologist representing the Conservatoire d’Espaces Naturels de Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur. 

To reserve a space or for more information about the biodiversity event, contact the Department of the Environment on viaenvironnement@gouv.mc or by telephone: +377) 98 98 83 41.  

The meeting time and place will be confirmed upon booking.  

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Photo source: Vincent Gaglio, Monaco’s Department of the Environment