Norway’s Kristiansand Harbour Authority has collaborated with the Danish company PowerCon and Agder Energi Nett on a project to put into operation Europe’s largest shore power facility.
This facility is an EU-funded innovation and demonstration project that will allow the largest cruise ships calling at Kristiansand to shut down their engines while in port and use shoreside electric power instead.
Agder Energi Nett will help to facilitate the power supply to the plant.
Through the EU’s climate framework, Norway has committed itself to reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 40% by 2030.
At Kristiansand, significant investments have been made for multi-year land operations for shipping. The new plant will be able to handle cruiseships having the right voltage and frequency, as well as enough power to allow the ships’ engines to shut down.
The system is made up of eight sections in 20 ft containers, which can supply up to 16 MVA of electric power and are built according to the international high-voltage IEC 80005-1 standard to ensure that most ships can be connected.
PowerCon, which will deliver the plant, has already delivered land systems to Kristiansand Port, and has collaborated with the Norwegian company OneCo to assist the maritime industry in Norway.
The total investment of around €4 mill is co-financed by the EU through its innovation and demonstration programme – Horizon 2020 SME, and is in line with the EU’s recommendation for land flow in European Ports by 2025.