The scale of the challenge to electrify ports using renewable energy sources could be superseded by the regulatory hurdles and the opportunity costs of capital – this was the underlying message at two topical IAPH webinars held earlier this week. The two webinars, entitled ‘Ports and the Electricity conundrum – what will it take to meet demand’, were delivered in collaboration with IAPH’s media partner Mercator Media, and hosted a combined total of close to 200 viewers from the maritime, ports and energy sectors. Speaking on behalf of ports’ ultimate customers, Nelson Mojarro of the International Chamber of Shipping provided context on just how much power would be demanded by ships from ports in the future. Ports and future hubs near ports, which produce green hydrogen from solar and wind renewable energy as well as hydro-electric power, store and then export that fuel by liquid bulk carriers “will become part of a new and unprecedented level of electricity demand,” he predicted. There were presentations by two of the largest global energy integrators for industry – GE Vernova and Schneider Electric – while two major innovators in the sector – Core Power and Natpower Marine – explained their strategic plans. The webinar was rounded off by feedback on the presentations from IAPH members from the ports of Los Angeles, Vancouver, Antwerp-Bruges and Barcelona, all of whom shared their varied experiences in coping with the electricity conundrum when implementing onshore power at berth. A detailed summary of the content from these webinars is available, as are full recordings of the 24 June and 25 June sessions. This topic will be examined in further detail at the upcoming IAPH 2024 World Ports Conference in Hamburg, where three site visits have been arranged by Hamburg Port Authority and organiser Mercator Media for a limited number of attendees to existing onshore power at berth facilities at cruise and container terminals. A fourth visit will focus on the planned HafenCity cruise terminal, currently under construction in the centre of Hamburg.
