Port of Oslo is aiming to become a zero-emission port. The new shore power facility opened Jan 8th. Ferries operated by DFDS and Stena Line will get their power from this facility when they are at berth. This contributes to lower climate emissions and promote the development of green technology. The CO2 reduction from this initiative is equivalent to emissions from more than 1.300 cars annually.
The seaway is the low emission highway
Maritime transport pollutes less and is more energy efficient than any other mode of transportation. The Port of Oslo aims to transport more cargo and passengers by sea. Each year nearly 1.3 million passengers travel with DFDS and Stena Line to Denmark. The ships also carry large quantities of goods.
What is shore power?
From the power station at Vippetangen, electric power goes to the ferries’ electrical systems. The ships connect seamlessly to the grid with the help of a cable crane. The crane is equipped with an 11 kV high voltage cable. Diesel-powered auxiliary engines onboard can be shut down while the ferries are powered by clean electricity. The power requirement of the ships is about 2-3 MW. That’s almost 60 times more power than today’s fast chargers for electric cars. Shore power saves the ferries about 1,420 tons of fuel annually.
When the ferries are connected to shore power, they annually use between 5 000 000 – 6 000 000 kWh. This corresponds to the annual power consumption of almost 400 Norwegian homes. The shore power station has a cost of approx 17 Million Nkr.
The Port of Oslo
The port aims to reduce 85 % of the CO2 emission by 2030 (action plan adopted by City Council on Nov 14th, 2018). Moving cargo from road to sea transport reduces at least 50 % of both air pollution and carbon emissions. The port is promoting alternative fuels and new technology, building infrastructure for emission-free solutions, and building shore power for ships.
Source: Port of Oslo