As shipping and the transport sector transition towards fossil-free operations, electricity consumption in Swedish ports is expected to increase dramatically. However, it is difficult for individual ports to determine exactly how much electricity and power capacity they will need in the future. To address this challenge, the analysis tool HELP has been developed within the Swedish Transport Administration’s industry programme Sustainable Shipping, managed by Lighthouse.

According to Sweden’s climate targets, domestic shipping emissions must reach net zero by 2045. This will place increasing demands on the country’s ports to decarbonize their operations. In addition to electrifying their own activities—such as cranes, equipment, and vehicles—ports will also need to provide shore power to vessels alongside the quay. A study by Transportföretagen (2023) estimates that ports’ energy demand could increase by at least 230 percent by 2030. This estimate does not even include the potential energy needs of vehicles.

At the same time, there is growing discussion about a shift in the role of ports. Rather than functioning solely as transport hubs, ports could evolve into energy hubs where energy is produced, stored, and distributed to vessels, vehicles, and other users.

“There are more than 50 public ports in Sweden, most of them small or medium-sized, and all face the same challenge. They need to transition, while at the same time it is difficult to predict future electricity and power demand. In many cases, only a handful of people work in the port office, and responsibility for sustainability is often just one part of someone’s role. This makes it particularly challenging to plan and prioritize investments. That is why we developed a tool that can help ports create their own forecasts,” says Jessica Wehner, Senior Researcher in Logistics at VTI and one of the authors of the report The Port as an Energy Hub – Development of an Energy Transition Tool for Ports.

The HELP tool (Hamnars ELPlaneringsverktyg – Port Electricity Planning Tool) is developed in Excel and is based on data relating to the energy requirements of machinery, facilities, and vessels. By entering their own data or using default values, ports can create future scenarios and compare different measures, such as replacing diesel-powered machinery with electric alternatives.

“Users enter data on the machinery, facilities, and vessels they operate, after which the tool compiles information on electricity consumption, peak power demand, and greenhouse gas emissions. For example, if a port decides to replace 20 percent of its machinery and one crane from diesel to electric operation by 2030, the tool can show how that measure affects energy demand and emissions.”

The tool does not provide ready-made answers on how a port should carry out its energy transition.

“The purpose is not to identify a single solution, but to provide a basis for decision-making and dialogue, for example with electricity grid operators,” says Gabriella Grenander, Research Engineer at VTI, who also worked on the project.

One major challenge was developing reliable default values for the tool’s calculations.

“Particularly for vessels, there is limited data on what the introduction of shore power would actually mean. We had to do quite a bit of work to identify assumptions we could confidently stand behind,” says Gabriella Grenander.

“It is not easy to determine exactly how much electricity a vessel requires, and of course it varies from ship to ship. However, we have identified international reference values that are sufficiently accurate even for the smaller vessels operating in Swedish waters,” adds Jessica Wehner.

Interest in the tool among ports has been high, and it is available for download together with a user guide on VTI’s website.

The Port as an Energy Hub – Development of an Energy Transition Tool for Ports was authored by:
Jessica Wehner, Gabriella Grenander, and David Daniels (VTI)
Sara Rogerson, Anna Skötte, and Joanne Ellis (RISE)

In collaboration with:
Sandra Sönnerberg and Linus Olsson (Port of Landskrona)
Joakim Ströberg (Port of Södertälje)