Facility will power Color Line’s cruise ferries which sail daily between the German city and Oslo, Norway
By
Elly Yates-Roberts |
The German port of Kiel has installed an emission-free onshore energy supply at its Norwegenkai pier.
The new facility will provide Color Line’s cruise ferries with electric power on their daily trips between the German city and Oslo, Norway.
“Together we are making an important contribution to keeping the air clean,” said Daniel Günther, Minister-President of the state of Schleswig-Holstein. “By using onshore power, we are reducing the emission of harmful substances and greenhouse gases while ships are berthed in the port to zero. The state of Schleswig-Holstein supports this trend-setting project and will encourage further facilities of this type.”
The Norwegenkai facility, built by Siemens, cost around US$1.4 million, of which around US$450,000 was funded by Schleswig-Holstein.
“In future we want to be in a position to use shore-based electricity to cover 60% of the power requirements of ships calling at Kiel,” said Dirk Claus, managing director of the Port of Kiel. “That will mean we will be able to count ourselves among the most eco-friendly ports in Europe.”
The electric power plant specifically caters to the needs of shipping companies and the port itself, with a maximum connection capacity of 4.5 magawatts at 10 kilovolts and a mains frequency of 50 Hertz.
“The new plant will deliver the largest amount of shore-based electric power (for ships) in the whole of Germany,” said Claus.
The power plant was officially opened on 9 May and plans are already in place for the port’s Schwedenkai and Ostseekai terminals to offer shore-based power supplies in the coming year. This will further reduce the city’s and the industry’s impact on the environment.
“As a city which protects the environment, Kiel would like to become carbon neutral by 2050,” said Lord Mayor Kämpfer. “The new ultra-modern shore-based power plant is contributing to significantly reducing carbon dioxide emissions in the port. I am delighted that Color Line is leading this effort and I would welcome it if other shipping companies were to follow suit.”