Several important works, such as the renovation of the Ravano and Del Golfo terminals, are currently underway in the Port of La Spezia. The activities provided focused on the electrification of the East and West Quays of the Fornelli Pier (brownfield design) and the new quays of the Ravano and Del Golfo Terminals (greenfield design). 

The wide range of activities involving differently structured docks with a variety of geometric and/or operational constraints and restrictions required the development of diversified solutions with fixed underground or above-ground supply points. 

In the engineering design phase, solutions were developed to ensure the scalability of the system were developed. The objective was to avoid introducing constraining elements between concurrent projects related to terminal upgrades in conjunction with the planned overhaul and revamping of the Medium Voltage (MV) internal distribution system of the Port.

The engineering design of the Cold Ironing installations was performed in compliance with the IEC 80005-1 standard ("Utility connections in ports - Part 1: High voltage shore connection (HVSC) systems - General requirements"). As a result, cargo ships using the Cold Ironing system are powered at 6.6kV and 60Hz.

The electrical and special installations are: the medium-voltage electrical system with transformation to low voltage and its distribution, the primary and secondary switchboards connected to the electrical distribution structure, the standard and emergency lighting network, the FM system, earthing, Uninterruptible Power Supplies (UPS), fire detection, frequency conversion for the power supply of for ships at 50Hz or 60Hz. 

The project also includes the monitoring and control of all the installations serving the Cold Ironing system for the automation of ship-to-shore connection operations, reducing operating times and the risks associated with potential errors in the manoeuvring of electrical equipment. 

For the automation system, the standard that has been implemented is IEC 80005-2 (Utility connections in Port - Part 2: High and Low voltage shore connection systems - Data communication for monitoring and control). 

The mechanical systems have been engineered to guarantee the proper functioning of the electrical and electronic equipment installed in the newly constructed substations. These systems provide cooling and ventilation for switchboard rooms (frequency converters, MV switchboards, LV switchboards, uninterruptible power supplies and batteries) and mechanical ventilation for transformer rooms.