Port authority launches tender for onshore power supply system
A major port authority seeks a contractor to design and build a new onshore power supply system, signalling rising demand for shore power infrastructure.
A major port authority seeks a contractor to design and build a new onshore power supply system, signalling rising demand for shore power infrastructure.
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Onshore Power Supply System Construction is a new design-and-build contract from Zarząd Morskiego Portu Gdańsk S.A., covering both comprehensive design documentation and the execution of construction works for a shore power system within the port.
Published on 29th July 2026, the notice marks a clear shift from planning to delivery for onshore power supply at the Port of Gdańsk. Shore power – providing vessels with electricity from land while they are alongside – is gaining ground as ports respond to rising demand and tightening regulatory pressure across Europe.
The contract description is concise but significant. It states that the supplier will be responsible for preparing “comprehensive design documentation” and for “executing construction works” for the onshore power supply system. That makes this more than a conventional works package: the port authority is looking for a partner that can take the project from detailed design through to physical delivery on site.
For potential bidders, that combined scope suggests a strong focus on integration. The system will need to sit within an existing, busy port environment, connect into established electrical infrastructure, and meet evolving standards for shore power in European ports. Managing those interfaces is often easier when design and construction sit under a single contract.
The emphasis on “comprehensive” design documentation points to a front-loaded phase of technical work before any construction begins. In practice, that is likely to cover the full shore power system, from connection points within the port’s grid through to the equipment that will serve vessels at berth, together with the supporting civil works.
By bundling this design phase with the physical works, Zarząd Morskiego Portu Gdańsk S.A. is following a pattern seen in other complex energy and transport projects. On 23rd March 2026, the Dyrekcja Rozbudowy Miasta Gdańska, acting for the city, issued a contract notice titled Power Supply System Modernization. That project also uses a design-and-build structure, covering the design and construction of a modernised power supply system for the traction network in Gdańsk, including new converter stations and reconstructed traction cables, as part of an EU-funded urban transport initiative.
This approach is echoed again in the energy sector. On 2nd April 2026, Zakład Energetyki Cieplnej launched a Photovoltaic Installation Construction contract, asking the supplier to update design documentation and connection conditions and then build a ground-based photovoltaic plant with all necessary technical infrastructure. There too, documentation, grid-connection issues and construction are wrapped into a single package.
For the Port of Gdańsk project, the message is similar: the buyer wants a contractor that can take responsibility for both the technical definition of the onshore power supply system and the real-world delivery of equipment and works within the port estate.
The onshore power contract also sits within a wider wave of investment in power supply and electrical infrastructure across sectors. On 1st June 2026, the Białystok Oncology Centre published a notice for a Power Supply Modernization Project. That contract combines the design and implementation of modernisation works at a transformer station with the introduction of an energy monitoring system based on SCADA technology.
In the same period, several buyers are reshaping how they procure electricity itself. On 1st April 2026, the University of Gdańsk launched an Electricity Supply for University tender that requires the supplier to hold a General Distribution Agreement with ENERGA Operator S.A., signalling how important the distribution network interface has become.
On 15th June 2026, Gmina Siechnice issued an Electricity Supply notice stressing quality standards, access to consumption data and the timely start of sales. And on 30th July 2026, the Supreme Court published an Electricity Supply for Justice Complex tender that explicitly requires a single contractor to handle the whole order for technical reasons.
Across these procurements, several themes recur: buyers are seeking higher reliability, closer monitoring of energy use, and clear lines of responsibility, often with a single supplier accountable for complex systems. The Port of Gdańsk’s onshore power project fits that pattern by assigning both the detailed design documentation and the construction phase to one contractor.
Large transport-related energy schemes reinforce that direction of travel. On 30th July 2026, Centralny Port Komunikacyjny published a contract notice for Power Supply Infrastructure Construction to serve the Port Polska investment. That project groups several station buildings and 110 kV cable lines into seven tasks under a single agreement, underlining how major hubs are treating power infrastructure as an integrated system rather than a series of isolated works.
The onshore power tender is also part of a busy maritime and coastal works pipeline that is giving strong weight to preparatory documentation. On 13th March 2026, the Director of the Maritime Office in Szczecin issued a notice for Geotechnical Documentation Preparation to enable water transport to the External Port in Świnoujście. There, the focus is solely on geotechnical documentation, underscoring how critical sound ground investigation and design work are before any major port expansion can proceed.
Design-and-build structures are also visible on the waterfront. On 31st July 2026, Gdyńskie Centrum Sportu advertised the Marina Master's Office Construction project, which covers both design documentation and execution of construction works for a new marina master’s office and facilities for sailing clubs at Marina Gdynia.
Similarly, on 13th July 2026, the Maritime Office in Gdynia sought a supplier for a Servicing Unit for Navigational Marks, combining the design, construction, equipping and personnel training for a specialised vessel into one contract. As with shore power, the buyer is looking for a partner to deliver a complete capability, not just isolated hardware.
The Port of Gdańsk’s shore power system sits squarely within this maritime investment cycle. It is one of several coastal and port-related projects where detailed preparation, careful integration with existing infrastructure and a single overarching contract are becoming the norm.
The brief wording of the current notice leaves many technical details for the full tender documentation. As the process advances, key points to watch will include the depth of the required design documentation, the way construction is phased within an operational port, and how the onshore power system is expected to interface with the wider electrical grid.
Given the direction of travel in other recent contracts – from SCADA-based monitoring in hospital power supplies to integrated high-voltage infrastructure for major transport hubs – suppliers will pay close attention to any requirements around monitoring, control, energy quality and data. With regulatory pressures on emissions and the growing use of shore power in European ports, the eventual specifications for this project are likely to be closely read across the port and energy sectors.
For now, the publication of the Onshore Power Supply System Construction contract confirms that Zarząd Morskiego Portu Gdańsk S.A. is moving from discussion to delivery on shore power. The coming documentation and contract award will show how this flagship project translates wider energy and port policy priorities into concrete technical and commercial requirements.
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