Scottish companies to test green hydrogen-based shore power at Port of Leith

Four Scottish companies have joined hands to test a green hydrogen-powered battery to generate shore power at Port of Leith, a deep-water port in the northeast of Edinburgh.

PHOTO: A pilot boat at the Port of Leith. Forth Ports

Port operator Forth Ports, wastewater treatment firm Waterwhelm, hydrogen tech firms Logan Energy and PlusZero are planning to trial the shore power technology on large tugboats at the port over the next year.

Waterwhelm will provide water treatment technology to produce fresh water from wastewater from a nearby treatment facility, according to Waterwhelm’s engineer, Richard Wood.

Logan Energy will supply electrolysers to produce green hydrogen from recycled water using electrolysis. The hydrogen produced will be compressed and stored for use as fuel.

The electrolysers will use green electricity to split water into hydrogen and oxygen. The green electricity is expected to be sourced from Waterwhelm's wastewater treatment system, which produces green electricity during the water treatment process.

“The hydrogen will then be used as a clean fuel for PlusZero’s combustion engine which will generate green electricity to provide shore power for the tug boats when they are in port, replacing the need for polluting diesel generators,” Wood explained.

The shore power project “will be a key demonstration within the marine sector that can be easily replicated elsewhere,” Bill Ireland, chief executive of Logan Energy said.

The project is “first of its kind to be demonstrated at a UK port”, the consortium claimed. It will help decarbonise ports “particularly in remote locations or areas where a connection to the main electricity grid is not available.”

The project has received a £535,000 ($679,003) grant from the UK Government Department for Transport.

By Konica Bhatt

Please get in touch with comments or additional info to news@engine.online