17 shore power projects get $13.6M from Enova

A total of seventeen shore power projects will receive almost NOK 143 million (about $13.6 million) in support from Enova, a Norwegian government enterprise, in the latest round of investments in the electrification of maritime transport.

With the award in this round, Enova has supported onshore power plant projects with over one billion Norwegian kroner since 2016, when the state enterprise began supporting cold ironing.

“Enova has contributed to the establishment of a market for onshore electricity and a publicly accessible infrastructure. This has resulted in reduced greenhouse gas emissions and better working conditions when the ships are docked. A functioning market for shore power is now in the process of being established, and then it is right to use our funds in other areas,” Rune Holmen, head of maritime transport at Enova, commented.

As informed, Enova is funding onshore power projects in Vestland, Troms and Finnmark, Vestfold and Telemark, Rogaland, Trøndelag, Møre and Romsdal and Agder.

86 projects completed

The support program has had one to three application deadlines a year since its introduction. 131 onshore electricity projects have been awarded support, and 86 have already been completed.

The program has used investment support as a tool, and the support is limited to 50% of approved investment costs, or a maximum of NOK 20 million per project.

During the autumn of 2022, an evaluation of Enova’s shore power investment was carried out, which in addition to the investment support program includes support for preliminary projects and support for adapting vessels for shore power. The evaluation showed, among other things, that a sufficient number of players today offer onshore power and that investment support is no longer necessary.

The investment support for shore power was therefore decided to be discontinued but Enova continues to support the installation of shore power systems in vessels for a limited period.

The government enterprise has launched the new program “Battery in zero-emission ships” which will make battery electrification more competitive and contribute to a faster green transformation of shipping. As more battery-powered vessels are built, there is also a need for the development of charging infrastructure and Enova is currently preparing a new support program for charging infrastructure for maritime transport.