The UK Chamber of Shipping has urged the Government to establish clear mandatory targets for shore power as the UK is falling behind other nations.
According to the UK Chamber of Shipping, new mandatory targets will encourage ports to install shore power technology to reach the country’s net-zero target by 2023.
The lack of availability of shore power in ports remains one of the major barriers to the technology’s uptake across the country, the Chamber added.
The proposal comes in response to a call for evidence by the Department of Transport and follows new findings from Hong Kong based Fung Research.
The study showed that China has 50 shore power facilities, while only two British ports are currently equipped with shore power facilities – Orkney and Southampton.
The Chamber also cited a report last year also found that each of the US, Canada, Norway, and Sweden offer more than double the number of shore power facilities compared to the UK.
“The UK is 20 years behind on shore power. Catching up now requires a clear and targeted regulatory framework to drive adoption across our fleets and ports,” said Sarah Treseder, CEO of the UK Chamber of Shipping.
“The government has shown it is prepared to back our industry in developing new solutions for our net zero transition. It must also act fast to back deployment of green solutions like shore power, which are already tried, tested, and trusted.”
The news comes following recent appeals to the UK Government made by port operators to work more closely with the industry – including last week’s call to support the UK freeports policy.
