Interview with Kristian Ruby

The Eurelectric secretary-general wants to join forces with ports to ensure carbon policies aresteered from within industry

INES NASTALI

"Europe aims to be a carbon continent by 2050. Are you going to ignore that?” Kristian Ruby, secretary-general at European energy provider body Eurelectric, questioned decision-makers who fail to commit to low-carbon targets.

“Nobody is going to throw money out of the window,” Ruby said when being asked about the willingness of companies to invest in low-carbon technology. However, “The world is on a one-way street toward decarbonization. Yes, there are some laggards, but you saw China also announced it wants to be carbon neutral by 2050,so this is really only going one way,” Ruby added.

Investment vs cost

Therefore, the mindset should be, “If we’re going there, what rules should be in place and how do we make this a viable business case,” Ruby said.

To kick of discussions about decarbonization with ports, which according to Eurelectric and classification society DNVGL, can play a key role on this journey, the two partners have published a guiding report. It is titled Ports: Green Gateways to Europe and discusses transition strategies to turn ports into decarbonization hubs. It also includes recommended policies to accelerate the process by equipping ports with onshore power. “Sometimes we need some regulation for these business models to take-off and we’re seeing some countries that already have rules on shore power and these regulations can make sure that there is a certain return on investment,” he said.

For Ruby, the above-mentioned mindset is also a key and a red flag when it comes to working with others. He explained why, “If you had this idea maybe this blows over, this won’t hit u sand we mustn’t take any risk. That’s basically a major staller of these projects. This might sound intangible, but it’s really about seeing: this is coming whether you like it or not, so embrace rather than fight it.

“I think many businesses in this space have been too comfortable for too long. When I look at what’s happening in the maritime industry right now, there’s the provision to half emissions by 2050. Inevitably, this will impact ports."

This is an excerpt of the Jan/Feb 2021 P&H edition. To read the full article, subscribe to the magazine.