New Shore Power Facility Officially Opened at Kiel Port

An important step towards climate neutrality at Kiel Port. The new shore power facility with a capacity of 16 megawatts can supply two ships simultaneously. After a successful integration test, the ‘AIDAsol’ will be connected to the shore power supply in regular operation. Since the beginning of the year, Stena Line ferries have been using shore power at Schwedenkai. Approximately 8,000 tons of CO2 will be saved through the shore power facility at Ostseekai.

(Kiel) An important step for climate protection at Kiel Port. At Ostseekai, the Minister for Economic Affairs, Transport, Labor, Technology and Tourism of Schleswig-Holstein, Dr. Bernd Buchholz, together with Kiel’s Mayor Dr. Ulf Kämpfer, the CEO of the Costa Group, Michael Thamm, and Dr. Dirk Claus, Managing Director of PORT OF KIEL, officially commissioned one of the most powerful shore power facilities in Europe. After a successful integration test, the ‘AIDAsol’ was connected to the shore power supply on June 16 as the first cruise ship. With 16 megawatts, the facility can supply a cruise ship at Ostseekai and the Stena Line ferries at Schwedenkai simultaneously with climate-neutral electricity generated from hydropower. Minister Buchholz stated: “With today’s date, we are taking a big step towards making shipping in Schleswig-Holstein even more environmentally friendly.” The state of Schleswig-Holstein supported the construction of the 13.5 million euro facility with around 9 million euros and successfully advocated for a reduction in the EEG levy on shore power at the federal level. “With this investment, which now enables shore power at a total of three locations in Kiel, the seaport is likely to be very competitive internationally. The facility will save thousands of tons of CO2 and significantly relieve the people in the state capital,” said Buchholz. This once again shows that ecology and economy can be harmoniously aligned. “Because we want to remain a cruise metropolis, but we want to do it with the best environmental conditions – and that is exactly what we have here.”

Signal Effect on Other Ports

Three years ago, on April 26, 2018, the state of Schleswig-Holstein, the state capital Kiel, PORT OF KIEL, and the Costa Group signed a declaration of intent aboard the ‘AIDAluna’ at Ostseekai to jointly promote environmentally friendly cruise tourism in Kiel’s seaport. This set the course for further intensification of cooperation with the aim of sustainably developing maritime infrastructure, the economy, and tourism in Northern Germany. Michael Thamm, CEO of the Costa Group: “Sustainability, regional value creation, and innovations are the focus of our actions. I am firmly convinced that this form of cooperation will also have a signal effect on other ports in Europe.” Since May 17, the shore power facility at Ostseekai has been tested and certified with the ‘AIDAsol’. The ship is now set to draw shore power in regular operation in Kiel. The new shore power facility has also been supplying Stena Line ferries daily with green electricity since the beginning of the year. This saves around 5,000 tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) annually at Schwedenkai alone. For each cruise ship that is supplied with shore power, an additional saving of approximately 45 tons of CO2 is added at Ostseekai. Furthermore, since May 2019, Color Line ferries at Norwegenkai have been connected to the land-based grid, resulting in an additional reduction of 3,000 tons of CO2 per year. Mayor Kämpfer: “All inner-city terminal facilities now have a shore power connection. The Scandinavian ferry companies are leading the way in electricity usage, and I am very pleased that AIDA Cruises is now the first cruise line to draw shore power in Kiel. We are already covering the majority of the energy needs of the ships located in the city center emissions-free and climate-neutrally. We want to continue on this path and are already planning another shore power facility for the eastern harbor.”

Shore Power Presents Technical Challenges

Shore power for ferries and cruise ships is an important step for PORT OF KIEL towards becoming a climate-neutral port. Dirk Claus: “I would like to thank the state of Schleswig-Holstein and the EU for their financial support in the construction of the shore power facility. My thanks also go to the Federal Ministry of Economics for the reduction of the EEG levy. This allows for near-economic viability to be achieved, so that the facilities can actually be used and contribute to climate protection.” Shore power presents not only an economic but also a technical challenge. “I would also like to express my gratitude to the Hamburg Port Authority (HPA), which has paved the way for more climate protection with the pilot facility at the cruise terminal in Altona and through collaboration on the EEG levy,” Dirk Claus continued: “I am pleased that the shore power facility has also been designed architecturally outstanding. My thanks go to the architects, construction companies, facade builders, and lighting designers.” In its first full year of operation, the Kiel Port plans to supply 70 cruise ship calls with shore power.

Simultaneously Supply Two Large Vessels

Siemens supplied the electrical and electronic core components of the shore power facility. It essentially consists of converters, medium-voltage switchgear, automation, and energy monitoring. “We are very pleased that we are now putting into operation the first system at Kiel’s Ostseekai and Schwedenkai that can supply two large ships simultaneously with power from land. The electrical connection between the onboard and land networks is not trivial. Our proven shore power system SIHARBOR ensures that not only the different network frequencies onboard and on land are automatically synchronized, but also coordinates for the first time the simultaneous supply of the two ships with different power requirements,” said Lars Nürnberger, head of the Siemens branch in Kiel. The mobile device for transferring the high-voltage cables to the ship comes from Stemmann-Technik, a company of Wabtec Corporation. The cable system is flexible and can be used in conjunction with the connection boxes on the terminal site, making it suitable for cruise ships of various sizes and designs.
Photo: © Hafen Kiel