Port of Gothenburg awards construction contract for transformer station to support container and ro-ro ship shore power connection
The Port of Gothenburg has signed a contract with AF Bygg Väst, part of AF Gruppen Sweden, for the construction of a transformer station serving the port’s container and car terminals. The contract value is Skr129m (US$13.5m) and includes the construction of a transformer station with a capacity of 19 MVA (megavolt-amperes) for incoming power.
Constructing the transformer station
Total investments for onshore power supply (OPS) in the container and car terminals are estimated at around Skr600m (US$63m). The transformer station project will start in the second quarter of 2025 and is scheduled for completion in March 2027. The project is co-financed by the EU Connecting Europe Facility fund, with support of approximately Skr90m (US$9m).
The transformer station will be approximately 56 x 18m and will be located in the northernmost part of the car terminal. It will enable simultaneous shore power connection to five berths in the container terminal and two in the car terminal. Each output will have a capacity of 4MVA per berth (with the option to combine two outputs into one connection point with doubled capacity).
Sustainable operations
The facility is a key part of the infrastructure required to enable shore power connection for both container vessels and car/ro-ro ships – something that will be available at the port before 2030. With OPS, vessels can be powered by quay-side electricity instead of fossil fuels while berthed. By connecting container vessels alone, the port has the potential to reduce CO₂ emissions by at least 5,600 metric tons per year.
With OPS available for container and car/ro-ro vessels, the port will also comply with upcoming EU regulations that, starting in 2030, require ships over 5,000 gross tons to connect to OPS while at berth. OPS is already installed at the port’s ro-ro and ro-pax terminals, as well as at the Energy terminal.
Magnus Nordfeldt, head of business area cargo at the Port of Gothenburg, said, “This transformer station is an important milestone that brings us significantly closer to shore-side power connection for container and car/ro-ro vessels. It enables electrical connection at a total of seven berths – five at the container terminal and two at the car terminal.”
Bård Frydenlund, executive vice president of AF Gruppen Sweden, commented, “We are pleased to be entrusted with contributing to a more sustainable port operation and look forward to starting our first collaboration with the Port of Gothenburg.”
In related news, the Port of Gothenburg recently entered the final phase of its two-week pilot project, in which it is using a hydrogen-powered generator to supply electricity to docked ships. According to the partners, the method may pave the way for reduced emissions in ports where conventional shore power connections are not feasible. Read the full story here
