Norwegian county municipalities will in the next few years announce tenders for a number of high-speed vessel connections. The government has ambitions that some of these will be realized with zero-emission solutions where possible. For less energy-intensive routes, battery-electric operation is such an option. On the other hand, there is a need for more knowledge both about technical solutions and about the total costs for vessels and onshore facilities.
Goal of pilot project
In this pilot, two county municipalities together with partners from the industry explore the potential for battery-electric operation on two specific routes.
- Møre og Romsdal county municipality conducts a comprehensive technical-economic analysis for the Langevåg – Ålesund connections.
- Vestland county municipality will map out possible solutions for charging infrastructure for the Askøy connections, which has previously been studied for battery operation.
The pilot focuses on charging solutions and infrastructure for energy transfer from shore, which
is considered particularly challenging for high-speed vessels. The results will be used to determine the level of ambition in the requirements specification when the connections are to be announced in tenders.
The county municipalities also want to generalize the findings for use in other tender announcements as well.
Status
The pilot was completed in August 2020. The results are taken into consideration by the county municipalities when working with tenders for High speed craft with environmental regulations. Electrification of the high speed ferries is a potential and attractive solution, and it is clear that sufficient power to the harbor and charging infrastructure are the biggest challenge related to electrification of high speed craft.