EU funds shore power and efficiency projects

The EU has provided major funding to a Finnish port to enable eco-friendly and efficiency-focused investments including shore power.

Port of Helsinki

This funding will be used by Port of Helsinki Ltd for port investment projects on the Helsinki–Tallinn and Helsinki–Travemünde routes, as well as for installing an onshore power system for the Hernesaari cruise services.

Overall, the EU has granted €10m for the Helsinki and Tallinn ports TWIN-PORT IV project. The investment in the Helsinki ports is approximately €11.3m in total, with funding of approximately €3.4m. Funding was granted especially for the purpose of improving the onshore power systems and efficiency in ports, the automation of ship docking and the ramp arrangements in the Vuosaari–Muuga route.

“We are extremely pleased with the funding we have received. This shows that our development projects run in parallel with the EU’s environmental and efficiency view on mobility and transport”, said Pekka Meronen, vice president in charge of finance, ICT and development at Port of Helsinki Ltd.

Around €3.3m of new EU funding has been granted to the Hansalink II project of Helsinki and Lübeck ports and the city of Lübeck. In Vuosaari, the total cost of the project’s shore power and automation investment is approximately €2.3m, with funding of approximately €0.7m.

The most central international cruise harbours in the Baltic Sea are involved in the Cruise OPS project to create a uniform onshore power system that reduces exhaust emissions and noise pollution during port calls. It is estimated that the Port of Helsinki will pay €4.2m for the onshore power system planned for Hernesaari, which has received funding of €0.9m.