Support on-shore power and electric charging facilities in ports
Shoreside power, also known as onshore power or cold ironing, is a system of power supply that allows ships to plug into electrical power at the berth while keeping their main and auxiliary engines that generate power and use marine gasoil switched off. The switching-off of these engines eliminates the emissions and air pollution that result from their running. Shoreside power can be used by vessels for various functions, such as lighting, ventilation, communication, cargo pumps and other critical equipment.
A considerable portion of the world's ports are equipped with shore power facilities. Similar facilities can be used to charge battery-powered ships. Installation of shore power facilities (or liquefied natural gas bunkering facilities) is mandatory in core ports in the European Union from 2025. Use of shore power facilities was mandatory for 80% of a ship operators' vessels operating in Californian ports in 2020. Shore power connections for ships with fixed connections to ports, such as ferries and liner shipping, are most relevant.
Switching from on-board ship auxiliary engines to shoreside power can result in significant reductions of emissions of CO2 (and other atmospheric local pollutants, such as sulphur oxides [SOx] and particulate matter [PM]) from vessels at the port. Shore power makes it possible to limit ship emissions at berth to practically zero, provided that the electricity used stems from zero-carbon energy sources.
The costs for shoreside power facilities consist of both fixed investment and operational costs.
Fixed investment constitutes shoreside and ship-side investment in shore power infrastructure, including installing high-voltage power, transformers, switchboard and control panels, electrical distribution systems, cable reel systems, and frequency converters. Total costs for the installation and maintenance of onshore power supply systems can vary from EUR 60 000 (euros) to EUR 500 000 per quay, according to the available literature. Costs for shipside modifications will depend on the vessel and are estimated to be reach up to around EUR 2 million.
Operational costs are primarily related to electricity costs and taxes, both of which vary by region. Some countries, such as Sweden, reduce taxes for electricity used by shore power systems; however, some electricity suppliers also charge connection fees.
Supporting onshore power and electric charging facilities in ports can lead to the following co‑benefits:
- reduction of SOx, PM, nitrogen oxide and carbon monoxide emissions
- improved air quality and corresponding improvement in health of people exposed to ship emissions
- reduced noise pollution.
Further, depending on the fuel prices, it may be cheaper to buy electricity off the grid than to produce electricity using the vessel’s diesel-fired auxiliary generator. As a result, ship operation costs can decrease.
Most shore power facilities have so far been unused or underutilised, as ships were not retrofitted or as burning ship fuel at port is usually cheaper for operators than using the port's shore power facilities. Measures that increase the price of conventional fuels (such as carbon pricing) can incite the uptake and use of power facilities in ports.
ITF (2021) Transport Climate Action Directory – Support on-shore power and electric charging facilities in ports
https://www.itf-oecd.org/policy/support-on-shore-power-and-electric-char...
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