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Peel Ports deal aims to crack clean power conundrum

[ May 23, 2024   //   ]

Peel Ports and NatPower Marine have unveiled a plan to set up the first green shipping corridor between Ireland and the UK.

NatPower will develop the UK’s first commercial electric ship (e-ship) charging network to support electric propulsion and cold ironing.

The estimated £100m would create a dedicated e-ship charging infrastructure at all eight UK and Irish ports operated by Peel Ports Group and would also include electric car, van and HGV chargers for commercial vehicles passing through the ports.

Over 3,000 vessels cross the Irish Sea every year, emitting 230,000 tonnes of CO2, 20,000 tonnes of nitrous oxide (NOx), and 18,000 of sulphur oxide (SOx), a sixth of them while ships are berthed at port. Connecting vessels to onshore electric charging when in port could dramatically reduce these emissions, supporting climate goals and improving local air quality.

The first Irish Sea routes identified in the proposals include Belfast-Heysham and Dublin-Birkenhead and would support Peel Port Group’s ambitions for Heysham to become the UK’s first ‘net zero port’. The port has cut emissions of its landside plant, equipment and vehicles by up to 90%.

The plans mark the first step in a new £3 billion global charging network, planned by NatPower Marine for 120 port locations worldwide by 2030. NatPower Marine will develop the sites, in partnership with port operators, and act as the long-term operator of the global charging network.

NatPower Marine chief executive Stefano Sommadossi said his company was investing to deploy the largest global network of charging points to help solve the ‘chicken and egg conundrum’ facing the industry: shipping lines cannot electrify their vessels if port charging infrastructure is not available, and ports are unable to raise capital for charging infrastructure without certainty of demand from shipping lines.

He added: “With marine trade set to triple by 2050, we urgently need to build the global network of clean energy charging infrastructure the industry desperately needs. Our partnership with Peel Ports Group is the first step in this strategic approach to accelerate the adoption of clean energy in shipping and help cargo owners to reach net-zero.”

Peel Ports Group chief executive Claudio Veritiero, added: “The proposals presented as part of this partnership are potentially game-changing, and fully support our ambitions to become a net-zero port operator by 2040. We look forward to working closely with NatPower Marine to explore the possibilities for establishing the first green shipping corridor between the UK and Ireland, and further enabling support for our customers, shipping lines and hauliers as they transition to a greener future.”

As regulation seeks to curtail emissions and shipping lines increasingly electrify both at-port operations and at-sea propulsion, demand for clean energy is set to skyrocket, equal to the annual electricity consumption of the US.  

NatPower Marine says it is taking a radically different approach to address this challenge, by removing the upfront investment which it says is the biggest barrier to change. It says that its funding enables it to make significant up-front investments in port infrastructure and in April this year, further strengthened its position with an investment of some €50 million from the VINCI concessions, energy and construction group

NatPower is also developing over 15GW of clean energy GigaParks projects in the UK, with 60GWh of battery storage capacity to balance intermittent demand like electric ship requirements.

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