Latest cranes future proof energy efficiency

Manufactured by leading Chinese manufacturer, Zhenhua Heavy Industries Co (ZPMC), the five new cranes are the first of two deliveries in 2021 which will complete the set of 22 CRMG cranes operating as part of the £400 million Liverpool2 project.

“The dynamism and strength of the business gives us the confidence to continue to grow and invest,” said David Huck, managing director, Peel Ports Group.

“Throughout 2021, future-proofing will be at the forefront of our business model, driving forward with planned investments in our people, processes and technology.”

Energy efficiency

These latest batches of CRMG cranes harbour energy efficiency considerations for the future.

All lighting is high end LED, reducing the cost of lighting the operation and are able to be instantly switched on and off. This allows the process to only use light on the tasks that require it, such as operator intervention.

Each crane has the latest generation of ABB drives and motors, which have been calculated to ensure the operation achieves its performance levels with the very minimal amount of energy consumption.

This, coupled with the fact that each crane can re-generate power to be put back into the national supply grid, means that the energy returned can be used elsewhere on the port or outside its facility.

Further gains are made by the intelligence within the control system synchronising multiple movements on the individual crane as well as cranes grouped together.

Mr Huck told GreenPort that this overall reduction in peak power demand allows Capex saving on the required infrastructure such as substation and, transformer sizing as well as supply cables etc.

Opex is also reduced, as running costs are considerably reduced in comparison to alternative equivalents such as diesel.