The City of Rotterdam and the Port of Rotterdam Authority are jointly earmarking 125 million euros to make port operations more sustainable. The money will go to projects for shore power for seagoing vessels, a cleaner alternative to the diesel generators that seagoing vessels still often use today.
Soon, seagoing vessels will be able to “plug in” at the quay and get power from the shore. Seagoing vessels use electricity for lighting and equipment on board, but also for cooling food containers. Ships can be connected to the electricity grid at the quay, but not all ships and quays are suitable for this yet. The electricity grid also has to be adapted for this purpose.
The port authority and the municipality think they still need a subsidy of 50 million euros. By 2030, ‘a large proportion’ of seagoing vessels will have to use shore power.
Over the next five years, the municipality and the port authority want to start 8 to 10 projects for scaling up and accelerating shore power. Shore power improves air quality and reduces noise pollution and CO2 emissions from the current diesel generators. Electricity consumption equals the electricity used by 250,000 to 300,000 households, according to the parties.
Together with port and shipping companies
Arno Bonte, alderman for sustainability in Rotterdam, calls the plans ‘an important step’. ‘With shore power we connect ships to a clean energy source. That’s nice for local residents and pleasant for nature reserves. The port will become a lot greener again.’
Allard Castelein, director of the Port of Rotterdam Authority, describes the port’s vision as ‘ambitious, but also pragmatic’. The projects are for various types of seagoing vessels. ‘We do this together with the companies in the port and with the shipping companies. We learn from these projects and it will then become clear whether we need to go faster or slower.’
Nearly all of Rotterdam’s public berths for inland navigation now have a shore power connection. Stena Line’s ferry in Hoek van Holland has been using shore power for some time now.
Source: ANP
Picture by Danny Cornelissen / Port of Rotterdam Authority.
