Danish ports are being forced to turn away potential customers because of insufficient grid capacity, according to Splash247, highlighting a constraint on the expansion of shore power for ships.

The warning comes as Aarhus, Denmark's largest container port, has successfully tested the country's first shore power system for container ships. The port also brought Denmark's first cruise ship shore power facility into operation in 2023.

Grid capacity becomes a constraint

The Aarhus test shows that a shore power system for container ships can operate at the port, but the wider capacity shortage points to a separate challenge: installing a system does not by itself ensure that sufficient electricity will be available to expand its use.

For ports, constrained grid capacity could limit their ability to accommodate prospective customers and extend shore power infrastructure. For ship operators, the availability of shore power may affect opportunities to reduce emissions while vessels are at berth. The longer-term impact on port electrification and shipping decarbonization will depend in part on whether grid capacity can keep pace with demand.