The PSA terminal in Zeebrugge, a major port and logistics terminal on the Belgian coast specializing primarily in forest and paper products, now derives half of its energy from solar panels.

The nearly 1,900 panels are mounted vertically on the facade of the company’s warehouse, as the roof is not suitable for solar panels. The solar panels are expected to generate 770 megawatt-hours (MWh) annually.

Carbon neutrality by 2050

PSA aims to meet the terminal’s entire electricity demand with locally produced renewable energy in the future. The company aims to halve its emissions by 2030 and achieve carbon neutrality by 2050.

“We already purchase 100% renewable electricity, but we are making significant additional investments to fully comply with Flemish requirements for CO2 emission reduction,” says Francis De Ruytter, regional head of sustainability at PSA Europe, Mediterranean, and Americas.

Overall, the installation saves 101,43 tons of CO2, which is equivalent to the annual emissions of 220 households.

Automotive hub

PSA Zeebrugge, part of the international port operator PSA International, manages terminals where goods are loaded, unloaded, and stored. It serves primarily as the main intermodal hub for the world’s largest paper producers, handling RoRo (Roll-on/Roll-off) cargo with trailers, heavy industrial goods, and container traffic.

The Port of Zeebrugge is, in general, a massive automotive hub. In 2024, the Port of Antwerp-Bruges handled 3.3 million new cars, making it the world’s largest RoRo port.

The port handles vehicles from virtually all major manufacturers: Toyota, Volvo, Jaguar Land Rover, Aston Martin, Tesla, Hyundai, Kia, and the Stellantis brands (Peugeot, Citroën, Opel, and Fiat).

Automotive logistics in Zeebrugge are almost entirely dominated by International Car Operators, a wholly owned subsidiary of Nippon Yusen Kaisha (NYK).