Ports of Stockholm can jointly apply, together with eight other Baltic Sea ports, for EU (European Union) grant funding for pilot studies to develop the onshore power infrastructure, enabling more sustainable shipping with low air pollutant emissions. The Swedish government has now given the go-ahead for this application.
In the first week in January the positive decision was taken by the Swedish government to approve Ports of Stockholm’s request to submit a joint application, together with eight other Baltic Sea ports, for a grant from the EU Connecting Europe Facility (CEF).
Enhancing the electrical supply infrastructure
The aim is to improve the electrical supply infrastructure by expanding the onshore power connections
The aim is to improve the electrical supply infrastructure by expanding the onshore power connections at Ports of Stockholm to ensure the development of more sustainable shipping with low emission of air pollutants.
“Together with the other Baltic Sea ports, we want to speed up and assure a more rapid development of onshore power connections for vessels at the quayside in the Baltic Sea region. This will result in greater ability to meet our own and EU environmental goals,” says Clara Lindblom, Chair of the Board of Ports of Stockholm.
Joint EU grant application - ‘Baltic Ports for Climate’
The joint EU grant application has the title - ‘Baltic Ports for Climate’ and is being submitted together with the ports in Aarhus, Klaipeda, Ventspils, Helsinki, Riga, Tallinn, Gdynia and Hamburg.
The initiative for the application was taken by the Baltic Ports Organization, an industry sector organisation for ports around the Baltic Sea that Ports of Stockholm has been a member of since the beginning of the 1990s.
Ports of Stockholm - the project coordinator
The role of Ports of Stockholm in the project will involve different pilot studies concerning the expansion of onshore power connections for cruise ships at the Värtahamnen/Frihamnen ports and for ferry connections at the city centre Stadsgården quays.
Ports of Stockholm will also be the project coordinator, which means overall responsibility and communication with the European Union (EU).
Improve the exchange of information between Baltic Sea ports
The application will be submitted to the European Union (EU) in the middle of January
One of the most important goals of the project is also to improve the exchange of information between Baltic Sea ports, in terms of onshore power connections and to share knowledge of best practices in this area.
The application will be submitted to the European Union (EU) in the middle of January. If everything goes smoothly, it is intended that the project will start in July 2023 and run until July 2025.
Development of onshore power connections
The development of onshore power connections is among other things one of the key demands of the EU climate goals and conversion to greener shipping policy known as Fit for 55.
Currently, many of the regular schedule ferry services already connect to onshore power in Stockholm and new onshore power facilities are being built at the quays at both Port of Kapellskär and at the city centre Stadsgården quays.