Companies to work together on decarbonization measures for bremenports

Companies at Germany’s bremenports have drawn up a joint declaration to continue working together to advance decarbonization and energy transition.

In October 2023, bremenports launched a special project together with the local port industry on behalf of the Senator for Economic Affairs, Ports and Transformation: “CO2-neutral overseas port“. The project presented a complete concept and design for the CO2-free energy supply in the port by creating a digital twin of the port.

In order to actually achieve zero CO2 emissions by 2035, a significant change in the port’s supply, which is still heavily influenced by fossil fuels, is required. Specifically, a primarily electrical energy system based on sustainable energy generation would need to be established as directly as possible in the port, the project partners concluded.

However, the project simulations also made it clear that due to the current legal framework, self-supply of port residents with renewable energy is economically advantageous for the individual, but not the collective.

In order to leverage synergies across companies, the project participants have now drawn up a joint declaration to continue the collaboration from the “CO2-neutral overseas port” project and to continue the dialogue and exchange that has begun. The joint agreement was presented as part of the “Envoconnect” sustainability congress in September 2024.

“I am very pleased that there is agreement on and around the quays: Even if a joint development of the future energy network encounters difficulties in view of the legal hurdles, the port companies want to represent the process and their interests in the energy transition in the port with a unified voice in the future – from my point of view, this is a very good message and makes it clear that the companies here are more than serious about the energy transition,” Robert Howe, bremenports Managing Director, commented.

Specifically, the agreement, which bremenports has joined alongside all major companies in the overseas port, envisages, among other things, promoting decarbonization measures and their economic optimization in the overseas port, transparently exchanging experiences in this field and jointly identifying funding opportunities for corresponding measures.

In addition, proposals for changing regulations that partly stand in the way of the common goal of the energy transition are to be developed together – and also discussed in the political arena.

“bremenports is happy to support this process of further cooperation on this topic, which was initiated by the port residents themselves – and we are pleased that the project has resulted in a real and lived site cooperation, which will continue in the future beyond the actual end of the project,” Howe added.