Port of Kiel turns to Siemens for additional shore power plants

Port operating company Seehafen Kiel has contracted technology company Siemens AG for the construction of two additional shore power plants at Port of Kiel’s Ostuferhafen.

The project with a total investment value of approximately €17 million (around $18.8 million) comprises a 50/60 Hz shore power plant for cruise ships and ferries and a 50 Hz shore power plant for ferries.

Under the contract, Siemens will execute planning, delivery, assembly, cabling and commissioning of all plant and structural components required for the operation of the shore power plants, the necessary structural, civil and hydraulic engineering work, and overall commissioning of the system.

According to the company, the new shore power connection will be one of the largest installations of its kind in Europe.

Upon completion of the project at the end of 2024, the Port of Kiel will be able to supply green power to six ships simultaneously at all of its major passenger, cargo and ferry terminals.

“Connecting ships to shore power has enormous economic and environmental impact. Ships save expensive fuel, new business models open up for port operators, and port staff and residents benefit from a significant reduction in noise and pollution”, explained Markus Mildner, CEO of Siemens eMobility.

The construction project at Ostuferhafen includes two shore power plants able to supply up to three seagoing vessels simultaneously.

The first shore power plant is designed to supply up to two ferry or cruise ships and connects four berths at Ostuferhafen to shore power. It has a capacity of 16 MVA and can supply cruise ships and ferries with a frequency of 50 or 60 Hz and a voltage of 6.6 kV or 11 kV.

The second shore power plant with a grid frequency of 50 Hz is designed exclusively for cargo and RoRo vessels and supplies two berths with a voltage of 6.6 kV or 11 kV, up to a maximum capacity of 5 MVA.

The new contract is a continuation of the cooperation between Siemens and the port. To remind, the existing shore power plants at Ostseekai and Schwedenkai as well as at Norwegenkai were also built by Siemens. 

The expansion of the shore power infrastructure is said to be one of the high-priority projects of Port of Kiel that aims to become carbon neutral by 2030.

The first system for shore-side power supply was connected to the grid at Norwegenkai in May 2019, while the second, larger system was commissioned at Ostseekai in June 2021.

From there, Stena Line ferries are regularly supplied with green electricity and just recently, the port welcomed the first cruise ship of the new 2022 season to use shore power in Kiel while docked.

AIDA Cruises’ 300-metre-long ship AIDAprima arrived at Ostseekai on 29 April and was afterward supplied with green shore power.

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