Freight News, Sea


Power deal marks first phase for Dover-Calais electrification

[ January 10, 2025   //   ]

Port Boulogne Calais says it has taken a major step towards the total decarbonisation of cross-Channel trade by 2035 following the signing of an agreement with French electricity transmission network RTE on 9 January.

The deal will see the delivery of 100MW of electric power to the Port of Calais.

This project is in line with the Clydebank Declaration, formulated at COP 26 in Glasgow which aims to create green maritime corridors in order to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from maritime transport by 40%.

An important step has already been taken with the arrival of two P&O Ferries’ hybrid diesel-electric ferries, the P&O Pioneer and the P&O Liberté, while ferry operator, DFDS, has made a commitment to use electric-powered vessels from 2030.

Calais’ short nautical distance( less than 30 miles) from Dover, and its proximity to the Gravelines nuclear power station makes 100% electric crossings a practical proposition, it says.

The TIDES (Terminal Integration to Deliver Electricity to Ships) project will allow ferry operators to recharge the batteries of electric ships at the quayside, with a level of power unmatched to date in any port, says Calais.

It will give Calais the energy resources it will need by the beginning of 2030 at the latest, when DFDS’s first new 100% electric ships arrive. The challenge is to inject sufficient electricity during the port of call to enable ferries to make the entire sea crossing in electric mode. The system will be capable of supplying 20-35MW power per ship during a 45-minute port call and up to three ships could be recharged simultaneously.

The contract, worth €6.7m, is the culmination of discussions begun in 2023 with the high-voltage grid operator. It will connect the port to the 90,000-volt Les Garennes substation next to the port.

This year will see technical and legal studies and the setting up of a financial package for phase 2, which will be to develop the electrical system linking the entrance transformer to the quays and enable ships to recharge.

Port of Boulogne Calais managing director, Benoît Rochet, said: “Securing a high-voltage electricity from  RTE is a key step towards decarbonizing the Calais-Dover link. The next few years will be devoted to designing the infrastructure needed to transform and distribute the energy and to connect and recharge the ships. The power to be delivered in such a short space of time is so important that there is currently no equivalent automated connection system in service in the maritime world. The Port of Boulogne Calais will be a pioneer in this field.”

The port is investing an estimated in the TIDES project and it will apply for a European subsidy when phase 2 studies allow.

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