The Gothenburg Port Authority has been working for a long time to encourage ships calling at the port to connect to the shoreside power system (also referred to as Onshore Power Supply – OPS) when at berth instead of keeping their engines running. By connecting ships at berth to a shoreside power facility, carbon emissions can be cut substantially, and emissions of sulphur dioxide and nitric oxide can be reduced to a minimum. This solution also offers a quieter port environment and an improved working environment on board.
The first high voltage shoreside power facility was installed in Gothenburg already in 2001, and since then the number of power facilities have grown year by year, with an average of one third of the ship calls now having access to a shoreside power facility. The latest shoreside power facility was installed in the Ro-Ro Terminal and started operations in January 2021. This time it was the shipping company DFDS that had adapted their ships to shoreside power, and their vessel Flandria Seaways was the first to connect to the new facility.
The next shoreside power project is already on its way. This time it is the Energy Port that is being investigated with an eye to installing a future shoreside power facility. The project is unique as the Port of Gothenburg would in that case be the first port in the world to have shoreside power for tankers in a hazardous area. Planning and implementation are scheduled to take place during 2021, with commissioning scheduled for 2022. The port hopes to be able to spread the concept to other ports and lay the foundation for a standard for shoreside power within hazardous areas.