Cruise ships can now connect to the power grid and receive green electricity instead of burning fossil fuels while docked in port. This is the result of the new shore power facility in Nordhavn – the largest of its kind in Europe.
Greener cruise tourism
As a consultant for By & Havn, SYSTRA has assisted with the design and construction of the power supply, which will help make cruise tourism much greener.
SYSTRA’s consultancy services included, among other things, project preparation/idea phase, preliminary design, tender design, execution, and supervision in connection with supply conditions and cable laying.
With the completed project, cruise ships will now be able to connect to shore power, allowing the ship’s generator and/or engine to be switched off while docked. According to figures from the City of Copenhagen, this reduces pollution at the quay by 90 percent.
The facility is Europe’s largest shore power plant and will be able to provide shore power to five ships simultaneously when fully developed in 2028. At present, two ships can charge at the same time, and the developer, By & Havn, expects this to be sufficient to meet demand. From 2030, it will be an EU requirement for cruise ships to receive shore power, so Copenhagen is already prepared, writes By & Havn in their press release.
The event took place in Terminal 2 in Nordhavn, which will now be one of the locations where cruise ships can receive shore power. Likewise, ships docking at Langelinie will also be able to receive shore power.

Among the speakers were also EU Commissioner Dan Jørgensen and Mayor Lars Weiss.
Photo: Peter Sørensen for By & Havn
With the words “Turn the power on,” His Majesty the King inaugurated Europe’s largest shore power facility on June 3rd.
Photo: Peter Sørensen for By & Havn


The facility is Europe’s largest shore power installation and will be able to supply shore power to five ships simultaneously when fully expanded in 2028.
Photo: Peter Sørensen for By & Havn