City of Rotterdam and Port of Rotterdam Authority present updated Shore Power Strategy 2025–2035
Recently, the Rotterdam municipal executive, together with the Port of Rotterdam Authority, presented the updated Shore Power Strategy 2025–2035 to the city council. This ambitious strategy provides a clear roadmap for the next ten years and focuses on accelerating the scale-up of shore power facilities in the port.
Shore power facilities are electrical connections at the quay that allow ships to switch off their engines and “plug in,” reducing emissions and noise. Rotterdam aims to make shore power the standard for a large part of all shipping by 2030, with the ambition of achieving zero-emission berthing by 2050.
Robert Simons (pictured, right), Alderman for the port: “Rotterdam wants to lead in the energy transition and economic development in the port. This shore power strategy sets the course until 2035, but we want all parties to be ready by 2030. The goals are urgent and require speed, courage, and results. This is the most ambitious shore power strategy in Europe—and we are proud of that.”
Boudewijn Siemons (left), CEO Port of Rotterdam Authority: “Shore power is not a distant dream; it is a solution for today. It directly contributes to a cleaner and healthier port and reduces emissions and noise. We aim to make shore power the norm for a large part of shipping by 2030 and lay the foundation for full rollout after 2035. This strategy is ambitious, realistic, and necessary—because a sustainable port is a strong port for everyone.”
The updated strategy serves as a guideline for the next 10 years and introduces a targeted approach for each development phase to accelerate and scale up shore power. The focus is on expanding and improving shore power facilities at publicly accessible quays, preparing for the international shore power mandate (AFIR regulation effective January 1, 2030), and scaling up the impact of shore power projects across all shipping segments.
In 2020, the municipality and Port of Rotterdam Authority jointly launched the first shore power strategy for seagoing vessels, even before European legislation made it mandatory. Since then, significant progress has been made. The port now has more than 100 shore power installations with a total capacity of over 43 megawatts (MW). This year, the shore power installation at the cruise terminal was officially commissioned—a major milestone.
The Port Authority and the municipality have supported the rollout of shore power in various ways in recent years. The Port Authority invests in shore power at its public berths and supports, encourages, and facilitates its customers in installing shore power. The municipality has provided subsidies for feasibility studies, and Alderman Simons recently granted investment subsidies to companies to accelerate shore power installation.