Hydrogen generator connected to shore power facility in pilot test at Gothenburg port

A pilot test using a hydrogen generator to power ships with electricity has been conducted at the Port of Gothenburg in Sweden.

During the two-week trial, a generator running on 100% green hydrogen had been connected to Stena Line’s existing shore power facility at the Port of Gothenburg. Using green hydrogen as fuel, the generator supplied electricity to Stena Line’s vessels Stena Germanica and Stena Scandinavica while docked.

Hitachi Energy developed the hydrogen generator while PowerCell Group supplied the generator’s power modules and provided expertise in fuel cell integration. Hydrogen was supplied by gas producer Linde Gas.

According to partners, the test aimed to show how mobile hydrogen solutions could help more ports cut emissions, especially ahead of new EU regulations requiring onshore power supply (OPS) by 2030.

Viktor Allgurén, Head of Innovation at the Port of Gothenburg, explained: “Since the climate is a shared concern for us all, it is also in everyone’s interest that as many ports as possible around us succeed in meeting these demands. With our extensive experience in OPS, we are pleased to partner with Stena Line to serve as a testbed for this new technology, which may very well prove to be a viable solution for many ports.”

Anders Peterson, Group Head of Port Development & Engineering at Stena Line, added: “At Stena Line, we are eager to collaborate to test new technologies aimed at reducing emissions from our industry. This project shows that there are alternative solutions for ports that lack the infrastructure for shore power.”

Hydrogen has been utilized as a fuel at the Port of Gothenburg in various applications, including a hydrogen refueling station for trucks. Hydrogen-powered work vehicles are also currently being tested, and the technology used in the current OPS trial has also recently been used in the port by Skanska to power heavy machinery in a major terminal expansion project.