Entech signs an initial shore connection contract with the Piriou group for ships at berth
Entech announces the signing of a contract with the Piriou group, the leading independent private French naval construction and repair group, for the supply of a decarbonised shore connection. With this first contract, Entech is expanding its range of activities to the port decarbonisation market, a rapidly developing sector at the heart of growing environmental imperatives and regulatory constraints.
Signing of a contract with the Piriou group, the leading independent private French naval construction and repair group
Entech will provide the Piriou Group with a 200 KW DC decarbonised shore connection solution, combined with a lower power AC power supply. This equipment will enable ships under construction or undergoing maintenance to be connected to the port’s power grid, avoiding the need to use fossil fuel-based power sources.
Based in Concarneau (Brittany), the Piriou group specialises in the naval construction and repair of steel and aluminium ships up to 120 metres. The solution provided by Entech is due to be commissioned at the end of the summer.
“The contract signed with Entech is part of our desire to limit the environmental footprint of our operations,” says Vincent Faujour, Chairman of the Piriou group. “The adoption of Entech technology at the historic Piriou site in Concarneau will enable us to reduce our carbon footprint. Our two companies have a recognised capacity for innovation and deep roots in our regions. I am therefore delighted with this partnership. ”
Entech’s Chairman, CEO and founder, Christopher Franquet, adds: “The decarbonisation of ports responds to both environmental and economic challenges concerning medium-sized ships as well as cruise ships and container ships. With this first contract in shore connection sector, Entech broadens its range of activities and confirms its ability to serve all markets related to new sustainable decarbonised energy supply and storage vectors. ”
Shore connection: an effective way to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and improve air quality
Shore connection is not only aimed at players in the maritime industry that own private docks, such as shipyards, but also at port companies that host ships during their stopovers.
Ships need to operate their auxiliary engines or remote generators both during stopover and during maintenance phases to generate the power needed to supply all their on-board facilities.
A shore connection, especially one based on renewable energy sources, is therefore an effective way to reduce GHG emissions and improve air quality, as it makes it possible to turn off the generators and stop the ship’s diesel consumption.
It also responds to strong demand from local populations in terms of improving air quality, as port areas are often located close to large densely populated cities.
An international regulatory framework serving ambitious objectives by 2030 and 2050
In July 2023[1], the Member States of the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) unanimously adopted three ambitious targets paving the way for the decarbonisation of the maritime sector: a 20% to 30% reduction in net GHG emissions by 2030, 70% to 80% by 2040 and net zero carbon by 2050. The list of measures identified in the short term includes the promotion of the use of alternative low- or zero-emission fuels and the provision of shore connections.
Meanwhile, the European Union is gradually adopting a set of increasingly restrictive legislative provisions designed to achieve climate neutrality by 2050, in line with the objective of the Green Deal defined in 2019.
In July 2021, the Commission set itself an interim target of reducing GHG emissions by at least 55% by 2030 compared to 1990 levels (up from 37.5% previously), through 13 legislative proposals. The new constraints in relation to maritime transport (the “FuelEU Maritime” regulation adopted in July 2023[2]) include the obligation for passenger ships and container ships to use shore connections from 2030 in the main EU ports, which therefore need to develop the corresponding facilities.
The “FuelEU Maritime” plan and all the regulatory provisions of the International Maritime Organisation constitute a legislative framework promoting the expansion of the shore connection market in which Entech has positioned itself through this initial contract with the Piriou group.
[1] 80th session of the Committee for the Protection of the Marine Environment (MEPC) from 3 to 7 July 2023
[2] Council of the EU: https://www.consilium.europa.eu/en/press/press-releases/2023/07/25/fueleu-maritime-initiative-council-adopts-new-law-to-decarbonise-the-maritime-sector/