CEMEX and partners working on smart shore power
Partners receive government funding for development of early-stage sustainable maritime technology
CEMEX, together with partners iconsys and The University of Warwick, have been awarded funding from the Department for Transport for the development of a smart shore power system to eliminate the operation of on-board diesel engines while their ships are discharging marine aggregates.
Utilizing energy derived from carbon-free sources, the project will investigate the feasibility of developing a shore power energy-delivery system incorporating battery energy storage, capable of meeting the electrical load requirements of self-discharging commercial cargo vessels.
The study will focus on a solution for CEMEX Go Innovation, one of the industry’s most modern and efficient aggregates dredgers (pictured).
Laurence Dagley, operational excellence and business development director for CEMEX West Europe materials, commented: ‘Our commitment to sustainability means we are examining every aspect of our operation to cut emissions, including in our marine business.
‘We are very proud to have received this funding from the UK Government for the project, which will also explore whole-ship energy efficiency, design, and integration to identify areas where systems can be improved, replaced, or removed to reduce the energy requirements.
‘Additionally, this project could help our vessels meet potential forthcoming ‘emissions at berth’ regulations, whilst contributing to the UK Government’s Clean Maritime objectives.’
The Department for Transport (DfT) has agreed the funding as part of the Clean Maritime Demonstration Competition (CMDC), which will help innovative companies and scientists make emission-free maritime solutions a reality.
The smart shore power system with energy storage project is part of CMDC Round 2 (CMDC2) which was launched in May 2022, funded by the DfT and delivered in partnership with Innovate UK.
As part of the CMDC2, more than £14 million has been allocated to 31 projects supported by 121 organizations from across the UK to deliver feasibility studies and collaborative R&D projects in clean maritime solutions.
CMDC2 is part of the UK Shipping Office for Reducing Emission’s (UK SHORE) flagship multi-year CMDC programme. In March 2022, the Department announced the biggest government investment ever in the UK commercial maritime sector, allocating £206 million to UK SHORE, a new division within the DfT focused on decarbonizing the maritime sector.
UK SHORE is delivering a suite of interventions throughout 2022–2025 aimed at accelerating the design, manufacture, and operation of UK-made clean maritime technologies and unlocking an industry-led transition to Net Zero.
