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Decarbonisation in UK ports
COST, UNCERTAINTY, CHANGE…
Decarbonisation is advancing in UK ports but there are funding, cost and other key issues to overcome. Felicity Landon reports
Decarbonisation of ports is not going to be cheap – and ports face some signifi cant barriers along the way, according to Mark Simmonds, Director of Policy and External Aff airs at the British Ports Association (BPA).
Addressing a recent webinar, organised by BDB Pitmans, Simmonds outlined the work that ports are already doing, including investing in hybrid vessels, shore power, electric/ hybrid plant and machinery, and taking steps around operational efficiencies, standards and leadership.
All ports are different in their structure and their levels of vertical integration, and therefore they have varying levels of control over emissions in their harbours, said Simmonds. “They are also at different stages in their respective journeys towards decarbonisation. There is an incredible pace of change in the ports sector in the UK – things are moving really quickly.”
However, he said, there are a number of barriers.
“First, the market. It is unclear where the market will head – for example, future fuel for shipping. It is difficult to talk about decarbonising ports without talking about the main source of emissions, i.e. ships. But there are also issues around equipment. Ports tend to buy the higher end technical specifications, so heavier gear where electrification hasn’t necessarily proceeded as quickly as we would like. There are huge costs involved and the business case is usually a big barrier. I am not saying you can’t buy an electric reachstacker, but it is a lot more expensive. It is still a challenge for electric and hybrid to keep up with their diesel counterparts.”
The price of electricity in the UK is another barrier, he said. The installation of shore power involves huge capital costs within the port and often the need for investment in the energy network outside the port gate, he explained. “The cost of these kinds of schemes can vary widely but can be millions and millions of pounds. A lot of ports are looking very carefully at shore power but these capital costs remain a huge barrier to widespread adoption.”
Although electrification is going to be key to so much of the decarbonisation work required in ports, said Simmonds, “I am not convinced the government is on top of that or those responsible for planning the energy system are.”
The Department for Transport has estimated that port demand for electricity will be ten to 200 times more in 2050 – “obviously a huge spectrum, but we are concerned that it is not being accounted for in future scenarios.”
SUPPORT PRIORITIES
Simmonds called for support to overcome the barriers to emissions reduction. “Decarbonisation is not going to be cheap. We see the primary role of government as making sure the costs for this fall in the right place – not too heavily on one part of the chain, as well as help in demonstrating new technologies and investing in innovation and research.”
The BPA wants a green maritime fund which is not just for innovation, he said. “The industry is proud of being independent of government – but coming back to shore power, there isn’t a shore power scheme anywhere in the world that has been done without some level of public investment.”
More broadly, he said, the BPA wants to see an energy system that supports maritime ambitions; a regulatory environment that provides certainty for low-carbon investments; clear, technology-neutral indication of direction for the industry; and international leadership at the IMO and other organisations.
8 Passenger
facilities at the port of Portsmouth are heated by thermal sea energy and cooled by the coastal breeze which is captured by wind catchers on the roof
Ports tend to be at the edges of the energy network and sometimes struggle to get the energy they need, he pointed out. “There is a big opportunity where they are becoming hubs for renewable energy – there is a lot of work to be done to make sure we get the energy we need. The government must recognise that moving freight by water is still by far the most efficient way to do it, and must be careful not to disincentivise that and move freight back on to roads or even air freight.”
The speakers at the webinar, ‘Decarbonising ports – the route to net zero’, considered the challenges and opportunities faced by ports and port users in implementing the measures needed to decarbonise by 2050.
Chairing the session, Richard Marsh, partner at BDB Pitmans, noted that emissions targets and legislation had the potential to impact on consenting of major port infrastructure. Developers would need to demonstrate that any new development of a port and the consequence of carbon emissions would not compromise the UK target, he warned. “There is an urgent need for ports and port users to continue decarbonising their operations as soon as possible. There have been some positive steps by the (UK) government in terms of incentivisation, but they are modest.”
Caroline Price, Green Ports Director at Royal HaskoninDHV, said decarbonisation of ports is a ‘whole site issue’, whatever the port operating model might be. “The land estate, hinterland connections, marine side and port operations and everyone involved has the responsibility to engage in this,” she said.
For the majority of ports, it is the landside operations where most emissions are generated – for example, in cargo handling and storage areas, said Price. “Diesel-powered plant is still a really important part of yard equipment.”
Reductions in emissions are linked to technology and also to people, she said – “around the way that people use that technology and interact with it, for efficiency and optimisation”.
“Often, especially when we are talking about funding from government, a lot is focused on innovation and big ticket items. But a fundamental part of decarbonisation is about optimising the energy and equipment you already use.”
Among the challenges she noted: the timescales for availability and delivery of large pieces of kit – sometimes up to two years; policy constraints; how to bring in, handle and store more energy, and how to deal with peaks and troughs in demand; and the physical requirements in terms of space.
With the rapid shift to electric power for terminal equipment, but also the use of alternative fuels and power, from biofuels to solar power, uncertainty is another concern. “The pace of change is incredible. There is genuine concern about the redundancy of assets of the technology changes within the lifetime you are looking for. There is still very little standardisation, and it is very difficult to switch between brands, right down to the software level,” said Price.
FRONT LINE EXPERIENCE
As a relatively small shipping company, Red Funnel faces challenges around timing and standardisation, said Leanna Lakes, Operations Director of the Isle of Wight ferry operator. “Any investment we need represents a significant cost for us – so it is looking at a replacement strategy but at the same pace as the industry, not ahead of the curve but making sure we have things that are tried and tested,” she said.
Previous environmental strategies at Red Funnel have focused on ‘small things that make a big difference’, she said – for example, a biofuel trial was run on one ship, but there were issues of availability for the whole fleet. The company has also focused on reducing plastics, air pollution and waste, recycling, energy reduction and sustainability.
“We are looking to the next phase of our environmental strategy, around the Clean Maritime Plan, and would be very keen now to look to our vessels’ propulsion, which is the biggest opportunity to drive down carbon emissions,” said Lakes.
Red Funnel’s vessels, which run between Southampton and the Isle of Wight, currently burn 8,500 tonnes of fuel (low-sulphur diesel) a year, she said. “We are due to replace our three ro-pax vessels in five to ten years, and the biggest challenge is what do we replace them with? As a small operator it is quite a risk to go out on your own and try new technology.”
You cannot manage what you do not measure, said Jerry Clarke, Senior Project Manager and Marine Pilot at Portsmouth Port, as he outlined the port’s efforts to reduce emissions. “We are a busy port and have to become more efficient, and that is part of decarbonisation. We used Defra guidance for measuring emissions. Where do I start measuring carbon being pumped out from ships from Africa? From 10 miles out where the pilots board? I chose from the fairway buoy, about 4.5 miles to port.”
CO2 emissions at Portsmouth increased from 50,000 tonnes in 2018 to 60,000 tonnes in 2019: that, he said, was because there were 844 more ship calls. “It is what ports do – they encourage trade, increase employment and increase economic activity in the area.”
The port, which is owned by the city council, has installed bespoke cabinets with air quality sensors. Positive developments have included the £9m Linkspan 4, built with £500,000 of EU Interreg funding for maximum sustainability; the use of LNG by Brittany Ferries; installation of intelligent storage and distribution of energy; maximum renewable energy production, including a massive solar array being installed; and the development of energy storage capacity, said Clarke.
The final speaker was Andy Vickers, Business Development Manager, Vattenfall Network Solutions. He described electrification as a key enabler for port decarbonisation and highlighted the solutions that are needed to cope with local grid capacity issues, including private networks and smart grids.
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