France’s ‘largest-ever’ shore power facility completed

The commissioning of France’s largest-ever shore power solution for ships at the Port of Toulon has been completed.

Operational since February 13, the installation is currently in its final acceptance period. The consortium responsible for delivering the installation was led by Swiss technology company ABB, comprising also French companies Eiffage Construction and Fauché, responsible for building and civil engineering services.

The facility now offers connections at 11kV and 6.6 KV voltage levels and frequencies of 50Hz or 60Hz, supporting both cruise and ferry formats. This allows supporting port calls by three ferries simultaneously, or one cruise ship.

In addition, the port is equipped with the necessary technology to connect a 1MW hydrogen fuel cell system.

Today, it is the only operational solution in France capable of simultaneously supplying multiple vessels – ferries and cruise ships alike – from a single conversion station, thanks to a digitalized smart grid network architecture, as per ABB.

“The delivery of this project is an important milestone for Toulon Provence Méditerranée Metropolis as a leading Mediterranean port to provide shore power across all of its docks,” Jean-Pierre Giran, President of the Toulon Provence Méditerranée Metropolis, commented.

“With the support of our co-funders and partners – the European Union, the French State, the Sud PACA Region, the Departmental Council, and ADEME – we are eliminating over 80 percent of polluting emissions, saving 9,000 hours of diesel operation per year, and significantly reducing noise and vibrations. The reduction in sulfur emissions alone will be equivalent to those produced by 50,000 cars annually.”

The shore connection system, developed and led by the Métropole and implemented by ABB, allows ships to turn off their diesel generators while in port, supporting the International Maritime Organization’s (IMO) targets for shipping to achieve net-zero emissions by or around 20501.

As of the beginning of May, the Mediterranean has become the fifth IMO Emission Control Area for sulfur oxides and particulate matter, which means that ships operating in the area will be required to use marine fuel with reduced sulfur content.

The Port of Toulon handles around 1,500 calls from ferries, cruise vessels, and cargo vessels annually. With shore power available, the city will be able to significantly reduce carbon, SOx and NOx emissions and noise at berth. In addition, ship owners will save on fuel costs.

The Toulon project is a key part of regional “Zero-smoke stopovers” plans for Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur (Région Sud PACA), which also include shore power for Marseille and Nice.

“Technically innovative, this project introduces a new smart grid network architecture using digital technology to manage energy flows from multiple interconnected sources,” Frédéric Mestivier, Designer and Technical Director of the electrification project for the Métropole Toulon Provence Méditerranée, explained.

“The infrastructure maximizes overall energy efficiency while minimizing the carbon footprint.”

The system designed by Toulon Provence Méditerranée Metropolis integrates ABB equipment that can store energy ashore, helping to smooth out peak energy demand from vessels and balancing loads dynamically. This allows the system to work with emerging renewable energy sources, with solar power and batteries already integrated, and helps to optimize the cost of energy delivered from the 20kV Enedis grid line.

ABB has delivered a comprehensive scope of equipment, including battery energy storage and solar panel integration, as well as full engineering project management.

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