Ports of Stockholm (Sweden) can jointly apply, together with 8 other Baltic Sea ports, for EU grant funding for pilot studies in order to develop the onshore power infrastructure, enabling sustainable shipping with low air pollutant emissions.
The Swedish government has given the go-ahead for the application.
In the first week of January 2023, a positive decision was taken by the government to approve the request of the Ports to submit a joint application, together with 8 other Baltic Sea ports, for a grant from the EU CEF (Connecting Europe Facility). The aim is to improve the electrical supply infrastructure by expanding the shore-side power connections at Port Stockholm to ensure the development of sustainable shipping with low emissions of air pollutants.
The joint EU grant application (called Baltic Ports for Climate) is being submitted together with the ports Aarhus (Denmark), Gdynia (Poland), Hamburg (Germany), Helsinki (Finland), Klaipeda (Lithuania), Riga (Latvia), Tallinn (Estonia), and Ventspils (Latvia). The initiative was taken by the Baltic Ports Organisation, an industry sector organization for ports around the Baltic Sea. Ports of Stockholm has been a member since the beginning of the 1990s.
The Ports of Stockholm's role in the project will involve a variety of pilot studies concerning the expansion of onshore power connections for cruise ships at the Vartahamnen/Frihamnen ports as well as for ferry connections at the downtown Stadsgarden quays. Ports of Stockholm will be the project coordinator, which means overall responsibility/communication with the EU. One of the project's major goals is also to improve the exchange of information between Baltic Sea ports in terms of onshore power connections as well as to share knowledge of best practices in the area.
If everything goes smoothly it is intended the project will start in July 2023 and run through to July 2025.
Image: Port of Stockholm (Sweden)
The onshore power connections' development is one of the demands of the European Union's climate goals/conversion to a greener shipping policy popular as Fit for 55. Currently, many of the regularly scheduled ferry services already connect to onshore power in the port of Stockholm, and new onshore power facilities are being constructed at the quays at both Port of Kapellskar and at the city centre Stadsgarden quays.