CONTRACT FOR SHORE POWER FACILITIES GOES TO SIEMENS AG

MAKING IT ONE OF THE LARGEST SHORE POWER INFRASTRUCTURES IN EUROPE

The company SEEHAFEN KIEL GmbH & Co. KG has commissioned Siemens AG with the construction of two shore power systems in the Ostuferhafen. The € 17 million construction project includes a 50/60 Hz shore power system for cruise ships and ferries and a 50 Hz shore power system for ferries. Upon completion, it will be possible to supply up to six ships with green electricity simultaneously in the port of Kiel from the end of 2023.

Cooperation with Siemens takes the next step

Following an EU-wide call for tenders, the contract for two new shore power systems was awarded to Siemens AG last week. The company emerged as the winner from the negotiation procedure with a preceding tendering competition. “With Siemens, we have already had a strong partner at our side for shore power in the past. This time, too, the most economical offer came from Siemens. We are looking forward to working together again,” emphasises Dr Dirk Claus, Managing Director of SEEHAFEN KIEL GmbH & Co. KG. The awarding of the contract to Siemens for the shore power facility at Ostuferhafen is part of a joint success story: the existing Kiel shore power facilities at the terminals of Ostsee-/Schwedenkai and Norwegenkai were also built by Siemens AG. “I am very pleased about the trust placed in us by the seaport of Kiel and the contract to install the third and fourth Kiel shore power system in the Ostuferhafen. The type and size of the system not only make it one of the largest in Europe, but at the same time the PORT OF KIEL once again puts itself at the forefront of German seaports in terms of sustainability,” says Lars Nürnberger, spokesman for the Siemens Kiel branch. The costs for the overall project of the shore power infrastructure at the Ostuferhafen amount to € 17 million. Construction is scheduled to start in autumn this year, with commissioning one year later in 2023.

Two plants with up to three supply options

The construction project at Ostuferhafen includes two shore power facilities with capacities for the parallel supply of up to three seagoing vessels. The first of the two shore power facilities is designed to supply up to two ferries or cruise ships and connects four berths at the Ostuferhafen to shore power. It has a capacity of 16 MVA and can supply cruise ships and ferries with a frequency of 50 or 60 Hz and a voltage of 6.6 kV or 11 kV. The second shore power plant with a 50 Hz grid frequency is designed exclusively for RoRo ships and supplies two berths with a voltage of 6.6 kV or 11 kV up to a maximum output of 5 MVA. A total of up to three ships can then be supplied with shore power in parallel with the facilities at Ostuferhafen.

Zero emission future

The expansion of the shore power infrastructure is one of the PORT OF KIEL’s prioritised projects. The seaport of Kiel has long pursued a clear sustainability strategy aimed at climate neutrality by 2030. In addition to the company’s own conversion to sustainable energy sources and innovative solutions for climate protection, the port also wants to use the shore power infrastructure to create incentives for shipping companies to save CO2 emissions at the quay wall. “Shore power is an essential component of our sustainable orientation. With the supply infrastructure for six ships, we hope to have about 80 per cent of the ships plugged in during their berthing times from 2024/25 onwards,” says Claus. In addition to the CO2 savings, supplying ships with shore power while they are in port also leads to a drastic reduction in noise and pollution. Even if the limit values have never been exceeded in Kiel, it is a positive side effect for the port city.