Sweden approves Stockholm’s Hamnar EU grant for shore power
Stockholm’s ports, together with eight other Baltic Sea ports, can apply for EU grants for pilot studies to develop land-based power infrastructure, enabling more sustainable shipping with low air pollution emissions. The Swedish government has now given the go-ahead for this application.
IIn the first week of January, the positive decision was made by the Swedish government to approve Stockholm Port’s request to submit a joint application, together with eight other Baltic Sea ports, for a grant from the EU Connecting Europe Facility (CEF).
The aim is to improve the electricity supply infrastructure by expanding the shore power connections at the Ports of Stockholm to ensure the development of more sustainable shipping with low emissions of air pollution.
Together with other Baltic Sea ports, we want to speed up and ensure a faster development of shore power connections for ships at berth in the Baltic Sea region. This will result in a greater ability to meet our own and the EU’s environmental targets
said Clara Lindblom, chairman of the board of Stockholm’s Hamnar.
The Port of Stockholm’s role in the project will involve various pilot studies regarding the expansion of land current connections for cruise ships at Värtahamnen/Frihamnen and for ferry connections at the center of Stadsgården.
Ports of Stockholm will also be the project coordinator, which means overall responsibility and communication with the EU. One of the most important goals of the project is also to improve the exchange of information between Baltic Sea ports regarding shore power connections and to share knowledge of best practices in this area.
The application will be submitted to the EU in mid-January. If everything goes smoothly, the project is supposed to start in July 2023 and last until July 2025.
The development of shore power connections is, among other things, one of the requirements of the EU’s climate goals and transition to a greener shipping policy called Fit for 55.
Today, many of the regular ferry services are already connected to shore power in Stockholm, and new shore power facilities are being built at the quays in both Kapellskär harbor and at Stadsgården’s center.