Port of Aarhus’ container terminal to be shore power ready by 2026

The Danish port of Aarhus has applied for EU funding to install shore power system at its container terminal.

PHOTO: Port of Aarhus launched shore power facility in June 2023. Port of Aarhus

Shore power or “cold ironing” is an electrical power supply provided to ships when they are docked at ports. Instead of running the engines onboard to power essential systems while docked at ports, shore power facilities allow ships to connect to the local electrical grid.

The port authority intends to provide three megawatts (MW) of power to container ships through the shore power system. It expects the shore power facility for container ships to be ready in late 2026.

The port has applied for funds through EU’s Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) that supports growth by investing in infrastructure across Europe.

Apart from the Port of Aarhus, ports of Bremerhaven and Hamburg (Germany); Gothenburg and Stockholm (Sweden) and Oslo (Norway) have also applied for shore power funding.

Port of Aarhus already offers shore power facility for cruise ships. In November last year, the port authority announced that it will levy an additional charge on cruise ships for not connecting to shore power from 2024.

Study to create tailored shore power facilities

The funds will also be used to study whether shore power facilities can be provided to ships of all sizes, especially the smaller ones. This is because to receive shore power, the ships must be compatible with the onshore infrastructure.

“If the cost of retrofitting a ship to receive shore power is too high, it is unlikely that the smaller ships will do it. It simply becomes too expensive,” the port’s chief operating officer Anne Zachariassen said.

The study will examine whether a smaller shore power facility can also be developed in the port to cater to smaller ships.

Shore power gaining momentum

Shore power has been gaining traction across ports and ship operators globally because it helps to reduce emissions while a ship is berthed.

According to the classification society DNV, there are currently 118 facilities across ports globally that offer shore power connectivity to vessels, with 47 more planned and four under discussion.

By Tuhin Roy

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