On-Shore
power terminals.
The air quality in the port of Kiel is very good. However, we as PORT OF KIEL strive to proactively develop solutions and do our part for keeping the air clean in our city. This is what we promised to do in our BLUE PORT Concept, this is the way we plan and act - and not just since yesterday. On-shore power is a sensible way for the ferries and cruise ships berthing in Kiel‘s city port to avoid the emission of air pollutants and noise during their docking times.
Construction of a shore power plant for the simultaneous supply of ferry and cruise ships at the Ostseekai and at the Schwedenkai.
Unique technology.
Plug it in and switch it on. Sounds pretty straightforward but it is no quite as easy as that. In order to provide the ships with on-shore power, a number of constructional and technological developments had to be made. The facility at the Ostseekai, in particular, is an innovative pilot project. An innovative and worldwide unique technology has been devloped specifically for meeting the different requirements of the vessels of international shipping companies which are all equipped with the most different standards. The electricity demand of the big ships during their time in port had to be calculated with 3-12 MW which equals the power consumption of small towns. Furthermore, there are the voltages and frequencies (50/60 Hz) that vary between the on-board and the on-shore grid as well as the available power output of the grid operator for different power requirements, particularly with regards to peak loads and short circuit current requirements. The power purchased on a 110 kV level cannot be supplied to the vessel through a simple cable connection but has to be adapted to the ship’s technology by a special substation, transformers and frequency converters.
Shore connecting points and power plant Ostseekai
Shore connecting point Schwedenkai
16 megavolt ampere shore-side power supply plant Ostseekai
Funding note
On-Shore power Norwegenkai
Since spring 2019, there is an on-shore power connection available to the Norway ferries of Color Line so that the marine diesel generators can be switched off during the vessels‘ time in port. So their stay in Kiel has become totally pollution-free.
The vessels “Color Fantasy” and “Color Magic” of the Norwegian shipping company Color Line connect Kiel and Oslo on a daily basis. They arrive at 10 a.m. and cast off again at 2 p.m. The annual electricity consumption during their time in port amounts to about 4 million kilowatt hours. The Norwegenkai onshore-power supply plant has a maximum power rating of 4.5 megawatts (MW) at 10 kilovolt (KV) and a network frequency of 50 hertz (Hz).
The way it works: The core components of the plant are the land-to-ship power transfer station (PLUG), manufactured by the firm called NG3, alongside the air-insulated, metal-clad, medium voltage switch-board. The PLUG power transfer station is equipped with a programmable controller (PLC) which communicates with the medium voltage switchboard located in the onshorepower supply station. All the required switching procedures transferred to shore by the ship via the interface are carried out automatically. Prior to power transfer from shore to ship taking place, the system checks the functionality of all plug and cable connections. Once completed, the onshore-power connection is switched on. The ship synchronises itself with the onshore-power plant which replaces the on-board power supply.
