Lack of government policy means UK ports not investing in onshore power supply

Onshore power supply (OPS) allows ships to plug in to electricity at berth instead of running engines for power, and is an essential emissions reduction technology. The study by the consultancy DNV, on behalf of T&E, finds that almost no OPS has been installed to date, meaning the UK Government is failing to adequately support the decarbonisation of the UK’s shipping sector.

European Union (EU) regulations require the supply of commercial-scale OPS in major EU ports from 2030, and for most container, cruise and passenger ships to use it. This will create considerable demand for OPS in UK ports, because almost all international vessels calling at EU ports also call at the UK. This means that the vast majority of UK international container, cruise and passenger ships will be OPS-capable in 2030.