High Voltage Connections
Hafnarfjord Harbour Energy Transition
Productive On-Shore Power Supplies Deployed in Hafnarfjord Harbor June 10-13, 2022.
Hafnarfjord Harbor is the first Icelandic harbour to offer its customers powerful On-Shore Power Supply (OPS), from which ships can connect to power up to 1,2 MW.
With these new OPS, ships can connect to electricity according to the ship’s own electrical system, i.e. 400, 440, or 690 Volts at 50 or 60 Hz.
The first such connection was made on June 10, 2022, as the factory trawler Baldvin Njálsson GK 400 was connected to 440 Volts at 60 Hz, while the ship’s efficiency is 350 kW.
The South Quay has a connection of 1500 kVA at 11kV, while efficiency of 400V/690V/50 Hz is 1500 KVA, about 1300 kW if power factor is 0,9.
Le Bellot, a cruise vessel owned by French company Le Ponant, was connected to the new system on June 13, 2022. That was the first time the ship was connected to an On-Shore Power Supply. The ship’s electrical system is 690 V at 50 Hz. The greatest power during test was about 800 kW, while average power is 600 kW.
Environmental effects
By connecting to OPS, ships will not have to burn fossil fuel at dock. Allegedly 14% of a ship’s fuel consumption occurs at dock.
This Summer the cruise vessel Le Bellot is supposed to dock ten times in Hafnarfjord Harbor. The ship’s expected energy need is about 600 kW, translating into about 20.000 kWh each time at dock. By using the electrical OPS, each docking of Le Bellot, then would reduce greenhouse emission by about 14.000 kg of carbon dioxide, CO2, i.e. appr. 14 tons. Considering 10 docking times during the Summer, its pollution will be reduced by 140 tons of CO2. This also affects air quality, as electrical connections do not produce nitrogen oxide, NOx, or suspended particulate matter, PM10, or PM2,5, nor any soot particles, SOx. A further consideration is that OPS also reduces noise pollution from ships.
The technology
The technology behind these powerful On-Shore Power Supplies consists in a High Voltage Connector at the side of the ship, connected to a transformer, which regulates the voltage into 400, 440, or 690 Volts, and frequency into 50 or 60 Hertz.
All the connections are produced in accordance with the international standard ICE 80005-3 LVSC.
Hafnarfjord Harbor has two high voltage connections, one in Hvaleyri Quay and the other in South Quay. The facilities for voltage and frequency are in specific movable containers, two 10 feet and one 20 feet. In order to transfer electricity on board, Zinus type electrical cable reels are used, with a transfer capacity of 350 ampers on each electrical cable.