The Port of Aberdeen has announced that it has been awarded funding from the UK Government for a multi-million pound project to design and deliver the first large-scale landside and vessel-side shore power system in Scotland.
In a statement issued on Thursday (14 September), the Port Authority said the ‘Shore Power in Operation’ demonstrator project will ‘cut vessel emissions at the berths by more than 80% compared with burning marine fuel and save in excess of 60,000 tonnes of CO2 equivalent over the next 20 years’.
Furthermore, the Port Authority said that the project will ‘pave the way’ for the roll-out of green shore power across North Harbour, which could ‘slash the port’s total emissions by 78%’., equivalent to an annual reduction of 34,000 tonnes of CO2 equivalent.
Details of the ‘Shore Power in Operation’ project, part of the Department for Transport’s (DfT) Zero Emissions Vessels and Infrastructure (ZEVI) competition, were unveiled at the London International Shipping Week (LISW).
The Port of Aberdeen is leading an industry and academia consortium, including Connected Places Catapult, DOF Subsea, Tidewater Marine UK Ltd, OSM Offshore, The University of Manchester’s Tyndall Centre and Buro Happold, to deliver the initiative.
The project follows a successful Clean Maritime Demonstration Competition (CMDC)-funded feasibility study completed in March 2022.
The new funding will see the design and installation of shore power facilities at seven berths on Albert Quay and Mearns Quay in the port’s North Harbour which will be operational by April 2025 or sooner.
The port is also focused on collaborating with private and public sector partners to facilitate future low and zero carbon fuel alternatives for client vessels.
Bob Sanguinetti, the Chief Executive of the Port of Aberdeen, said: ‘Partnership between the public and private sectors is essential to decarbonise the maritime industry. Aberdeen has firmly established itself as a port of choice for innovation and collaboration in this area and the ZEVI funding further strengthens our position.
‘We have a bold ambition to become the UK’s first net zero port by 2040 and are investing £55 million over the next 10 years to turn this into reality. Shore power is critical to achieving our ambition and we look forward to working with our industry partners to deliver this ground-breaking emissions reduction project.’
The Port of Aberdeen is also a partner on two other ZEVI projects. The port is working with the Bibby Marine led consortium to build the world’s first zero-emission electric service operation vessel and supporting Ocean Infinity’s project for a methanol vessel retrofit.
Related Reading:
EUROPE: Port of Aberdeen investing £55 million to ‘become UK’s first net zero port by 2040’
