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Port of Aalborg A/S has gone to market for a hybrid onshore power system that uses a mobile battery to supply shore power to berthed ships and mobile cranes. The project brings battery energy storage into the core of port power operations and reflects a wider shift towards flexible, low-emission infrastructure across European harbours.
Hybrid shore power with a mobile battery
In a contract notice published on 2nd April 2026, Port of Aalborg A/S sets out plans to establish a hybrid onshore power system. The scheme will supply shore power to ships and mobile cranes by combining grid electricity with a mobile battery system. The buyer is seeking innovative design and careful integration with existing infrastructure, signalling a demand for suppliers that can act as system integrators rather than simple equipment vendors.
The hybrid power system for the port is framed as an integrated engineering project rather than a straightforward equipment purchase. The mobile battery element makes the system a battery energy storage system (BESS) embedded directly in day-to-day operations. It is intended to stabilise the local grid, handle variable and high peak loads from visiting ships and cranes, and create more room for renewable electricity within the port’s power mix.
The emphasis on innovative design and integration suggests that the buyer wants a solution tailored to existing cable routes, substations and operational practices. It also points towards a focus on performance and reliability: shore power and crane supply are operationally critical, and any failure has immediate commercial consequences. Bidders can expect the eventual contract to revolve around clear performance outcomes as much as technical specifications.
Ports scale up shore power across Europe
The Aalborg project lands in a busy pipeline of shore power investments across European ports. In November 2025, the Special Fund Port in Bremerhaven went to market for the supply of green electricity to newly installed shore power systems (Supply of Green Electricity). That contract is designed to ensure that vessels can use onshore electrical energy while docked, showing how energy supply arrangements now sit alongside infrastructure builds.
Hardware projects are also moving ahead. In February 2026, Hansestadt Lübeck issued a contract notice for planning, procurement and installation of cable management systems for shore power connections to RoRo and RoPax ships at Skandinavienkai in Travemünde (Shore Power Systems Infrastructure). That scheme includes design planning, commissioning and foundation construction, underlining how shore power projects blend civil works and electrical engineering.
Also in February 2026, Göteborgs Hamn AB published a contract notice for the design and construction of a transformer station to deliver seven onshore power supply (OPS) connections for container and car transport vessels at Skandiahamnen (OPS Skandiahamnen Project). The project will install four supplies and prepare for three further connections, indicating expectations of rising demand from different vessel types.
Earlier, in December 2025, Skagen Havn launched a tender for a high-voltage shore connection at its cruise quay (High-Voltage Shore Connection for Cruise Ships). That contract covers both an onshore power system and a cable management system, with a clear operational readiness date set. It shows how cruise calls are driving demand for large, dedicated shore power installations.
In the same month, Oslo’s port authority issued a notice for land power installations at Kneppeskjær to serve carbon capture and storage (CCS) ships (Land Power Installations at Kneppeskjær). With options for additional systems and services and a target completion by June 2027, that contract links port electrification directly to emerging CCS logistics.
Some buyers are still testing the market. In March 2026, Groningen Seaports NV launched a market consultation on a shore power initiative at Beatrixhaven Eemshaven (Shore Power Project Consultation). That exercise focuses on design completeness, contractor capabilities and the realism of the proposed schedule. In November 2025, Belfast Harbour signalled interest in partners that could design, install and operate a shore power facility, manage connections and set sales tariffs (Shore Power Facility Partnership), pointing towards new operator models.
Against this backdrop, Port of Aalborg’s hybrid system stands out by making a mobile battery central to its shore power offer. Where many recent projects focus on fixed transformer stations and cable management, Aalborg is explicitly looking to combine grid supply with a flexible BESS that can move and respond to operational needs.
Battery storage moves into the quayside
Dedicated electricity storage is starting to feature more prominently in port investment plans. In November 2025, the port authority in Aveiro published a contract notice for construction of an energy storage system at the port (Energy Storage System Construction). While the notice does not spell out every technical detail, it signals a clear move to integrate storage infrastructure alongside traditional port power assets.
Hybrid electricity systems are also appearing in more remote settings. In March 2026, Nærøysund kommune launched a procurement for a hybrid electricity system for the fishing village of Sør-Gjæslingan (Hybrid Electricity System for Sør-Gjæslingan). That project seeks a supplier for a system that can draw on different power sources in a coastal community, echoing the hybrid approach now being considered inside larger commercial ports.
Ports are also looking at how storage and generation can work together. In February 2026, Associated British Ports began market engagement on a utility-scale floating solar project at Cavendish Dock, under the Barrow EnergyDock initiative (Barrow EnergyDock Floating Solar). That prior information notice aims to gather insight on delivery models, risk allocation and supply chain capacity, illustrating how complex clean energy schemes around docksides are being shaped well before contracts are awarded.
Further offshore, large wind projects are setting the wider context. In November 2025, the Danish Energy Agency published a contract notice for the establishment of the Hesselø Offshore Wind Farm, designed to enhance energy security and support the green transition with a minimum capacity of 800 MWh and a capability-based two-way contract for difference scheme (Hesselø Offshore Wind Farm). As offshore capacity grows, nearby ports will increasingly need flexible power infrastructure, including storage, to manage changing energy flows.
The Port of Aalborg scheme sits at the intersection of these trends. Its battery-backed shore power system is a BESS embedded directly in port operations, supporting ships and mobile cranes rather than functioning as a stand-alone grid asset. That gives technology providers and engineering firms a concrete opportunity to show how storage can add operational value on the quayside while contributing to grid stability and renewable integration.
What the hybrid tender tells suppliers
The Aalborg contract notice makes clear that integration with existing infrastructure is central. The port wants a solution that fits its current electrical network and operational patterns while extending shore power to both vessels and mobile cranes. This scope indicates that bidders will need strong capabilities in system design, grid connection and operational planning, not just in supplying hardware.
Because the hybrid system will sit between the grid and critical port assets, performance is a core theme. The project places emphasis on stabilising the grid, making better use of renewable generation and securing dependable power delivery. For potential suppliers, this points towards robust performance guarantees, clear monitoring arrangements and persuasive evidence of how proposed designs will behave under varying loads from ships and cranes.
Other recent procurements highlight how expectations are rising. In February 2026, Nordfjord Havn IKS issued a framework agreement for technical consultancy services covering port projects including land power development (Technical Consultancy Services Agreement). That framework allows the port to call on specialist advice as it plans complex electrification and storage schemes, raising the bar for the quality of design work bidders must bring to the table.
Long-term operating models are also in focus. Belfast Harbour’s November 2025 prior information notice on a shore power facility seeks partners to design, install and operate the system, manage power connections and set tariffs. This approach, set out in the Shore Power Facility Partnership notice, suggests that operational capability and commercial structuring are becoming as important as technical delivery.
The trend towards integrated, low-carbon power systems is visible beyond ports. In January 2026, HafenCity Hamburg GmbH launched a procurement for high-voltage and on-site power supply systems for a CO2-neutral office building built in timber, with a strong emphasis on sustainability and urban greening (High Voltage Systems for Zero-Emission Office). The hybrid onshore power system at Port of Aalborg fits the same direction of travel within the maritime sector.
Outlook
The outcome of the Port of Aalborg hybrid shore power tender will be closely watched by utilities, shipowners and technology suppliers. It will show how far a port is prepared to rely on battery-backed systems for critical shore power, and how responsibilities for performance, integration and risk are shared between the buyer and contractors. With further projects in Groningen, Aveiro, Bremerhaven, Skagen, Oslo and elsewhere moving through consultations and tenders, the Aalborg scheme could help set practical benchmarks for the next wave of shore power and storage investments at European ports.
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