New research: Ports can become energy hubs

Developing ports into energy hubs for both internal operations and external users can be highly significant to the green transition. Jessica Wehner, a researcher at the Swedish National Road and Transport Research Institute (VTI), is leading efforts to develop an energy transition tool to support Swedish ports.

Ports are of great importance as transhipment points for various modes of transport. In future, they may also play an important role in efforts to achieve a fossil-free transport sector. By developing ports into energy hubs, they can supply various forms of energy for both their own operations and external users such as road vehicles and ships.

“Ports also have the potential to produce and store renewable energy, thus further contributing to the transition,” says Wehner, who is leading a project group working on developing an energy transition tool for ports. There are over 50 ports in Sweden, most of which are small or medium-sized. They have a great deal of work to do in terms of day-to-day operations, and limited resources to invest in transition processes. It is difficult to predict and estimate energy consumption and customer demand. Aside from estimated future cargo volumes, there are many other parameters that are difficult to assess. How much shore power* will vessels require in future? Will electric HGVs want to charge in the port?

“The tool is intended to help ports to estimate their own and external future energy consumption. This provides them with a better basis for decision-making, infrastructure upgrades and investments.”

The energy transition tool will be open to all. Another important objective is to ensure that it is user-friendly and applicable to all types of ports, including those that handle bulk cargo* and containers.

The project was preceded by a pre-study conducted with the Port of Landskrona. The project group has developed a framework that evaluates five focus areas: port operations, surrounding transport systems, the port’s role as an energy node, additional energy activities, and the port’s future energy plans. The study revealed that, while ports have good oversight of the energy consumption of their own operations, they will need much more data on energy consumption over time from external users.

The innovation project The Port as an Energy Hub runs until April 2026. It is funded by the Swedish Transport Administration's industry programme Sustainable Shipping, which is managed by Lighthouse, Sweden’s collaboration platform for maritime research and innovation. The project is being conducted by VTI and RISE Research Institutes of Sweden together with three port operators: Landskrona Hamn AB, Södertälje Hamn AB and Vänerhamn AB.

Text: Johan Sievers/ Redakta

Translation: CBG

* Shore power is the provision of shore-side electrical power to a ship at berth.
* Bulk cargoes are commodities that are shipped without pre-packaging in, for example, freight cars or cargo holds, such as crude oil, fertiliser and grain.