{"id":4288,"date":"2026-09-14T09:27:35","date_gmt":"2026-09-14T08:27:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.portstrategy.com\/greenport-congress\/?p=4288"},"modified":"2026-09-14T09:27:35","modified_gmt":"2026-09-14T08:27:35","slug":"port-decarbonisation-turning-ambitions-into-action","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.portstrategy.com\/greenport-congress\/news\/digital\/port-decarbonisation-turning-ambitions-into-action\/","title":{"rendered":"Port Decarbonisation: Turning Ambitions into Action"},"content":{"rendered":"

The GreenPort Congress webinar showed ports beginning to look beyond individual projects to deliver integrated decarbonisation<\/span><\/b><\/p>\n

Monday\u2019s\u00a0webinar\u00a0explored themes to be\u00a0further\u00a0developed at the GreenPort Congress\u00a0in Portsmouth on 7-9 October, focusing on how ports are moving from individual sustainability projects towards a more integrated approach to decarbonisation.<\/span>
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Shore power\u00a0emerged\u00a0as a key part of this transition, but speakers highlighted the wider challenges surrounding its implementation, from grid capacity, finance,\u00a0collaboration\u00a0and governance. Portsmouth International Port (PIP) was\u00a0presented as an example of how these challenges can be addressed, with its shore power system designed to maximise the use of its available grid capacity.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Dr. Mark\u00a0van\u00a0der Veen,\u00a0Director of\u00a0the Graduate School of Business\u00a0in Amsterdam\u00a0began\u00a0the\u00a0webinar\u00a0emphasising\u00a0\u201cthe need to\u00a0share\u00a0practical\u00a0experiences and\u00a0learn from one another and to collaborate\u201d.\u00a0This collaborative\u00a0approach was\u00a0reflected in the differing\u00a0perspectives of the two speakers\u00a0involved\u00a0with\u00a0the ambitious project to bring Portsmouth International Port to Net Zero by 2035. While Port Director Mike Sellers discussed\u00a0what it takes to implement sustainability projects into pre-existing infrastructure, Chris Poyner, Head of Shore Power at ABB,\u00a0demonstrated\u00a0the supply-chain perspective and the practical constraints around grid capacity.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Sellers introduced\u00a0Sea Change, the\u00a0new shore power\u00a0project\u00a0at\u00a0PIP,\u00a0as\u00a0part of the\u00a0\u201cmaster plan\u201d\u00a0towards\u00a0the goal for Net Zero. He announced that\u00a0\u201cwe have just finished the biggest milestone of that project,\u00a0where we are now able to deliver shoreside\u00a0electricity to multiple vessels, up to three cruise vessels or\u00a0ferries\u201d,\u00a0describing it as\u00a0\u201ca first for a UK port\u201d.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Chris Poyner, from his\u00a0technology\u00a0supplier\u00a0perspective,\u00a0provided\u00a0a\u00a0practical\u00a0addition to this innovation,\u00a0highlighting\u00a0how\u00a0ports must navigate\u00a0uncertainty around vessel\u00a0consumption. It requires a careful negotiation between\u00a0how much shore power is\u00a0required\u00a0against what is available from the grid,\u00a0while also being aware of\u00a0significant\u00a0infrastructure costs.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The discussions\u00a0identified\u00a0the\u00a0two main\u00a0barriers\u00a0to\u00a0implementing shore power \u2013 business case and power availability.\u00a0Portsmouth\u2019s experience\u00a0demonstrated\u00a0how\u00a0acquiring\u00a0an end user, securing the grid\u00a0connection\u00a0and\u00a0securing\u00a0\u00a319.8\u00a0million in UK government funding\u00a0helped to turn\u00a0its\u00a0ambition into an operational infrastructure.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The\u00a0discussion\u00a0broadened,\u00a0with\u00a0Tim\u00a0Verhoeven,\u00a0Senior Policy Advisor for Sustainable Development at\u00a0ESPO,\u00a0in his discussion of\u00a0water quality\u00a0highlighting the\u00a0wider policy and stakeholder challenges facing\u00a0European\u00a0ports as they work towards sustainability goals.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

For\u00a0Ekaitz L\u00f3pez Amurrio, Chief Financial Officer and European Funds Coordinator at Bilbao Port, the transition can be considered at\u00a0an\u00a0even broader level.\u00a0He argued that\u00a0port\u00a0authorities\u00a0could\u00a0begin to\u00a0understand energy as\u00a0an \u201cintegrated system\u201d,\u00a0discussing the prospect to be \u201cnot only consumers of energy, but also producing and having some strategic autonomy or some level of energy independence in our ports\u201d.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The webinar demonstrated the challenges of port decarbonisation, with the discussion set to continue at the GreenPort Congress in Portsmouth, United Kingdom from 7\u20139 October. Industry professionals will have the opportunity to explore how these challenges may be overcome and mitigated as ports pursue their sustainability endeavours.<\/span><\/p>\n

Secure your delegate place today<\/a><\/p>\n