A £27 project is happening at Portsmouth port (Image: Getty)
A £27 million green-energy project is nearing completion in a UK seaside town, which is hoped to transform the area.
The shore power project at Portsmouth International Port will allow cruise and ferry ships to turn off their engines and run their onboard systems using green electricity from the grid from April 2025, helping to reducing air pollution.
Portsmouth’s multi-million Sea Change project will be the biggest project of its kind to date, with space for three vessels – two ferries and a cruise ship – to be plugged in at once.
Brittany Ferries introduced the idea a few years ago as it was looking to invest in a hybrid ferry that could switch entirely to battery power when entering and leaving to reduce air pollution, according to the port’s technical director Stephen Watkyns.
By essentially enabling ships to switch off while docked, it hoped the project will improve air quality around the port and decarbonise port operations.
Brittany ferries reportedly introduced the idea (Image: Getty)
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Portsmouth Port was awarded £19.8 million in September 2023 to drive the project, through the (DfT’s) Zero Emission Vehicles and Infrastructure (Zevi) competition, with the condition it had to be running by April 2025.
Balfour Beatty was brought in under an early contractor involvement (ECI) agreement to build the detailed design, while AtkinsRéalis helped unpack its technical challenges.
Watkyns said: “Trying to keep a port fully operational while ploughing a trench through the middle of it doesn’t come without its challenges. But we’ve got multiple contractors all pushing together, all working in the same direction, all with that overarching desire to deliver this, not only for us but for the UK government and the UK ports industry as well.”
Balfour Beatty project director Ed Jowett said they analysed how existing structures might react to the work, and how the port could continue to operate during construction.
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Balfour Beaty project manager Peter Walbridge said: “It’s been a huge challenge to put this equipment, which is large, heavy, complex, with the cable routing, underneath this critical vehicle ramp without affecting the existing foundations or structure.”
Once work is complete, the port will have to feedback data about performance, air quality improvements and emissions for three years to the DfT.