Shorepower for container ships is coming to the Port of Aarhus

But even when the ships are stationary, they still consume energy. Modern ships are packed with navigation equipment, machinery monitoring systems, communication devices, and much more. Certain containers also need to be kept cooled, and the crew naturally uses both light and heat.

When such a ship docks at Port of Aarhus, it generates its own power using diesel generators. But soon there will be an alternative.

At Port of Aarhus, we have applied for funding to establish a shore power facility at the container terminal. We aim to become the most sustainable port in the Baltic Sea region, and this is an important step towards that goal. In the future, container ships will be able to turn off their diesel generators and rely on electricity to supply energy to the ship

— says Anne Zachariassen, COO of Port of Aarhus.

The funds have been sought from the infrastructure fund CEF, which stands for Connecting Europe Facility, and is a pool within the EU meant for projects which improve transport infrastructure.

Shipping companies and ports unite in a green front

Port of Aarhus has applied for 37 million for the project at the container terminal, but we are not alone. We apply along with the ports of Bremerhaven, Gothenburg, Stockholm, Hamburg and Oslo, and shipping company Unifeeder have expressed their full support.

It will be ships like theirs which will be able to connect to the upcoming shore power system.

Unifeeder has set itself ambitious decarbonization targets, including being net zero by 2050. Even though the use of alternative fuels such as biofuels and soon methanol and later also ammonia will mainly contribute to decarbonization, the use of shore power during port calls is an important element of our decarbonization pathway

— says Martin Gaard Christiansen, European CEO and global CCO of Unifeeder.

Port of Aarhus is the first port in Denmark to have a shore power facility for cruise ships, and since the port handles over 70 percent of Danish container freight, it felt natural to look at the container terminal as the next step.

While the shore power facility for cruise ships can deliver up to 16 megawatts, used to power everything from restaurants to wellness facilities onboard, container ships have lower demands. It is expected that the upcoming shore power facilities will be able to deliver three megawatts to the largest container ships.

We have approximately 175 port calls in Aarhus every year with our vessels, making us one of the port's most frequent guests. During our lay days, we emit carbon dioxide through on-board power generation. We want to avoid this in future

— says Martin Gaard Christiansen.

In addition to emitting CO2 into the atmosphere when running, diesel generators also have local issues in terms of noise and odor. These issues completely disappear when ships use shore power.

Study to investigate options for tailored shore power facilities

Aarhus Port receives visits from container ships of various sizes. The largest are around 400 meters long, while others are less than 200 meters.

While the smaller ships will naturally require less power through the upcoming shore power facility, there is a challenge: To receive power from the shore power facility, the ships need matching onboard infrastructure to accommodate it - regardless of the ship's size.

And that can be expensive.

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. We want to help make the green solution attractive

— says Anne Zachariassen.

The application therefore includes funds to solve that problem as well.

These funds will be used for a study to examine whether a smaller facility designed for smaller ships can be created, making the transition cheaper.

"We are interested in ensuring that the technical design of the shore power connections meets all requirements without penalizing any ship segment. Some ships only require a cheaper low-voltage connection, whereas others need a much more expensive high-voltage connection", says Martin Gaard Christiansen.

When some of Europe's largest ports and one of the continent's most important shipping companies come together on these projects, it accelerates the pace of the green transition.

But the united front has several advantages.

It sends a signal to the industry that we all need to transition. When the opportunity for shore power is there - perhaps even in several variants in the future - we all have a responsibility to make the green choice. I believe we will succeed

— says Anne Zachariassen.

Port of Aarhus expects the shore power facility to be ready for container ships in late 2026.