HHLA with Additional Charging Stations at the Container Terminal Altenwerder

Hamburger Hafen und Logistik AG (HHLA) is consistently implementing its sustainability strategy at the terminal facilities in the Hanseatic city. By the end of the year, six more eco-friendly charging stations for battery-operated container transport vehicles (AGVs) and 16 additional lithium-ion AGVs will be put into operation at the HHLA Container Terminal Altenwerder (CTA).

(Hamburg) Last week, two new charging stations were delivered to Ballinkai. They serve the eco-friendly power supply of the automatically operated AGV fleet, which ensures container transport between the quay and container block storage at the CTA. In the coming weeks, four more charging units, each housed in a 20-foot container, will be handed over to the terminal. This will increase the number of charging stations at the CTA to 13 by the end of 2020, with five more planned for the next year.

Securing the Operation of the AGV Fleet

With the expansion of climate-friendly energy supply at the CTA, HHLA ensures the operation of its growing battery-operated AGV fleet. About half of the vehicles in use are already powered by lithium-ion batteries, and by the end of the year, 16 more of these environmentally friendly AGVs will be added. By the end of 2022, all of the nearly 100 vehicles are to be converted to lithium-ion battery drive. This will result in an annual reduction of approximately 15,500 tons of CO₂ and around 118 tons of nitrogen oxides starting then. The electrified AGVs operate locally without CO₂, nitrogen oxide, and fine dust emissions.

From a business perspective, battery-operated vehicles are also attractive, as the ratio of energy used to actual drive performance is about three times higher than that of diesel AGVs. Other advantages of lithium-ion batteries include their charging time, which is only one and a half hours, as well as their long lifespan and maintenance-free operation.

CTA: The World’s First Climate-Neutral Container Handling Facility

The conversion of the AGV fleet at the CTA, supported by the Hamburg Authority for Environment, Climate, Energy, and Agriculture with funds from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) as part of the “Energy Transition in Companies” funding program, is an important component of HHLA’s sustainability strategy, which aims to halve CO2 emissions by 2030 and achieve climate neutrality for the entire group by 2040. Due to its high level of automation and electrification, the CTA is already the world’s first certified climate-neutral container handling facility. Terminal processes that still cause CO₂ emissions today are gradually being converted to electrified operation or are being tested for conversion. Through so-called emissions reduction certificates, HHLA compensates for the currently emitted CO₂ emissions and supports climate-friendly projects. The goal is to continuously reduce the need for compensation, which is being advanced by the expansion of the battery-operated AGV fleet.

Photo: © HHLA
www.hhla.de