Scotland’s largest maritime decarbonisation project is now operational at the Port of Aberdeen, providing green shore power to vessels at eight berths in the North Harbour.
The £4 million project, installed by PowerCon and backed by the UK Government’s Department for Transport through the Zero Emissions Vessels and Infrastructure (ZEVI) competition, forms part of a wider public-private partnership with Innovate UK and industry partners.
Shore power allows ships to plug into the port’s renewable electricity supply instead of running their fossil-fuel engines while docked, reducing CO₂ emissions, pollution, noise, and fuel consumption. This initiative supports the port’s ambition to become the UK’s first net zero port by 2040 and could cut up to 60,000 tonnes of CO₂ equivalent over 20 years, equivalent to removing around 2,140 cars from the road annually.
The port has also developed shore power infrastructure for other vessels, including Bibby Marine’s electric Service Operation Vessel and Serco NorthLink’s passenger ferries. The scheme’s first vessel connection was OSM Thome’s NS Iona, one of five retrofitted ships ready for shore power.
Port of Aberdeen’s CEO, Bob Sanguinetti, highlighted the project as a game-changer that will reduce customer emissions by 80% at berth and help lead the North Sea’s clean energy transition. Maritime Minister Mike Kane praised the initiative as a vital step towards the UK’s goal of zero-emission shipping by 2050, emphasizing its economic and environmental benefits.
The project is also supported by an industry and academic consortium including OSM Offshore, Tidewater Marine UK, and the University of Manchester’s Tyndall Centre, signaling a strong collaborative approach to maritime decarbonisation.
