The port must become a green energy hub
The port plays an important role as a hub for Sweden's infrastructure and the transition to green transport. This applies not only to shipping, but also to other modes of transport. In Sweden, there are 52 ports that need to be expanded and rebuilt in the coming years to handle new fuels and energy sources. This will involve extensive investments in ports to enable them to become the green energy hubs that the transition requires.
During a seminar in Almedalen, moderated by Christer Bruzelius from us at Gotland Tech Development, the issue of the port’s role in Sweden’s energy system and what is required for the transition to take place was discussed.
We touched on the needs of several different fossil-free fuels, including hydrogen.
– Converting the Gotland traffic to hydrogen only would require 20,000 tons of hydrogen per year, which corresponds to 700 GWh of energy. This in turn means a need for 1 TWh of electricity production – as much as Gotland consumes in a year today.
This poses completely new challenges for the ports,” said Christer Bruzelius.
From the ports of Gothenburg and Åland, we received concrete examples from the work towards fossil-free shipping and transport.
Göran Eriksson from the Port of Gothenburg, which is the largest port in the Nordic region, emphasized the role they have as infrastructure owners to enable others to act within the port’s structures.
One example is that there are now plans for a hydrogen electrolyzer and a hydrogen station in the port.
– Hydrogen will be the basis for future fuels such as electrofuels, and we have a clear role as an enabler for other actors in the same way as today but for new types of fuels,” said Göran Eriksson.
Ports use large amounts of energy for logistics, bunkering fuel for shipping, and manufacturing fuel and other products.
For shipping to make the transition, much more electricity is needed.
Offshore wind power can play a crucial role here.
Hillevi Priscar, Head of Sweden at OX2 said:
– We have several projects for offshore wind power, including Aurora off Gotland.
To be able to produce the fuels needed, we must ensure a functioning logistics chain from electricity production at sea to fuel in port.
OX2 and its partners have conducted a feasibility study in Åland, where we can see that this can be done, i.e. produce green methanol in a cost-effective way. But it is not only shipping that depends on the transformation of ports.
Every day, a large number of vehicles and transports pass in and out of Sweden’s ports, and they are central to our country’s overall infrastructure and transport system. Against this background, ports can act as role models by steering demand towards energy sources with reduced CO2 emissions.
This includes facilitating the filling of greener alternative fuels and working with other actors along the value chain, from energy suppliers to authorities, to secure permits, investments and production of new fuels.
– We are building the first hydrogen stations now, where we will establish a total of 24 hydrogen stations for heavy transport.
One of these is a station in the Port of Gothenburg, where many vehicles pass through.
Getting a functioning infrastructure so that people dare to invest in the vehicles is important,” says Peter Enå, CEO of Hydri. The new energy system also focuses on flexibility to adapt energy production and consumption to meet fluctuating demand and supply.
Patrik Hermansson, Head of Business Development in the Nordics at Uniper Energy, highlighted how the port is a place for predictable operations, and how they will help develop the next generation of ship fuels.
– The port is a great example of flexibility, where the ships can eventually become part of the local electricity system.
In addition, we want to use the fossil-free electricity to produce ship fuel.
We are investing in e-methanol where hydrogen is a component and imagine that it will initially be produced near the port, but in the long run it is a commodity that will be able to be transported, we are setting up an e-methanol factory both in Luleåhamn and in Östersund. Priorities for green energy in ports In conclusion, ports need to be considered not only as efficient transshipment points, but also as key actors in the energy system.
By establishing capacity to handle and distribute fossil-free energy, ports can play a crucial role in the transition to a sustainable transport system.
This requires faster permitting processes and strategic investments in renewable energy and new fuels production, as well as increased electricity supply to produce renewable fuels, such as hydrogen and electrofuels.