The Antwerp Euroterminal (AET) has installed the first shore power connection for seagoing vessels in Belgium.
The commissioned projects will carry a €25 million ($27 million) to €30 million ($32 million) investment, to which the Flemish Agency for Innovation (VLAIO) granted a €4 million ($4.3 million) subsidy.
The two shore connections have a total capacity of 5 megawatts (MW) primarily for Grimaldi’s new RoRo vessels.
The port authority noted that installation will be operational by 2026 and designed for future-proof expansion, enabling additional vessels to connect. 100 per cent green electricity is initially produced by the three wind turbines installed on the terminal site and operated by Wind aan de Stroom.
In addition, extra capacity will be produced by solar panels on the roof of the multilevel parking garage of the terminal and two extra windmill turbines that are planned to be installed at the terminal. The produced green energy will be stored in a large battery system to optimise the use of the generated electricity.
High voltage Onshore Power As a Service (HOPaS) is the technology and service consortium comprising Techelec, Yuso, and Whitewood that will handle the investment, installation, and operation of the future onshore power solution at AET. The Port of Antwerp-Bruges facilitates this rollout of shore power at the terminal.
Shore power provides docked vessels in the port with electricity in an environmentally friendly and quiet way and therefore plays an important role in the greening of ports, according to the Port of Antwerp-Bruges. In addition, it allows moored ships to connect to the local electricity grid via a ‘socket’ on the quay reducing emissions of CO2, nitrogen oxides, sulphur oxides and particulate matter.
Last month, the first concessionaires signed contracts for NextGen Demo, the innovation hub located in the heart of the Port of Antwerp-Bruges.
More recently, the port unveiled the Methatug, a methanol-powered tugboat that is part of the port’s fleet greening strategy and an important step towards becoming carbon neutral by 2050.