British ports threaten to pull the plug on net zero charging

Christopher Jasper

Sat, February 21, 2026 at 4:00 PM GMT+9 3 min read

Portsmouth International Port currently has no plans to reactivate the charging hubs - Yujie Chen/iStockphoto

Ports are threatening to pull the plug on dockside chargers for electric ships after a jump in energy prices.

The ports in Aberdeen and Portsmouth say surging prices have made it cheaper for vessels to use their diesel engines when tied up at the quayside, rather than tap into the power networks.

The British Ports Association (BPA) said this could turn facilities built with tens of millions of pounds of taxpayer money into white elephants. It called on the Government to take steps to help make them more competitive.

Turning off the charging ports would be a blow for the Government’s net zero goals, which require all aspects of transport and life to be decarbonised over time.

The Port of Aberdeen, which has Britain’s largest shore-power grid, warned it was experiencing weak take-up for its nine electrified berths, which meant it was unable to recoup standing charges of £500,000 a year.

The port is currently examining plans to scale back power supplies to cut its losses. It said there was no prospect of extending electrification to all of its 70 berths as previously envisaged.

Roddy James, Aberdeen’s chief commercial officer, said there was “no incentive for ship owners to plug into the mains” given the high cost of using the charging ports.

Mr James said the response to a three-year trial that began last year had been disappointing, adding: “We’re committed to net zero and reducing emissions around the port, but it still needs to make sense from an operator perspective.”

Currently, he said it was “just not economically viable”.

The Port of Aberdeen warned it was experiencing weak take-up for its nine electrified berths - Alex Walker

Mr James said the port would look into battery storage for cheaper electricity bought overnight, but that without an upturn in demand, it would have to scale down the £5m project.

Elsewhere, Portsmouth International Port said three newly electrified berths, which were expected to help power cross-Channel ferries, risked becoming a “redundant asset”.

It warned that plugging into the charging points would cost ship owners four times as much as using marine fuel.

Portsmouth currently has no plan to activate the charging points, which were installed with £19.8m from the Government’s zero emission vessel and infrastructure scheme, together with £4.6m from Portsmouth council.

Brittany Ferries, which serves six routes from Portsmouth, said that using plug-in power for two hybrid vessels based at the port would add £2.5m a year to its energy bill.

A spokesman said: “We’d be happy to pay a bit more but not that much more. The sad thing is that Britain is ahead of France and Spain, which are only now developing shore power, but when those do open, we expect them to be cheaper, so Portsmouth will be left behind.”

Story Continues  

The BPA urged the Government to address electrification costs or risk the collapse of key decarbonisation projects.

In a letter to Peter Kyle, the Business Secretary, the industry group said the lack of support threatened to undermine the competitiveness of British ports compared with their Continental competitors, which benefit from discounted energy and reduced VAT for shore power.

The BPA said: “Early adopters are being punished by huge increases in industrial electricity costs. This will drive more traffic to European ports instead of here in the UK as the ability to offer shore power to vessels at a reasonable price becomes more and more important.”

The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero said the Government had invested almost £20m in the Portsmouth project. It said work was under way to accelerate the development of transmission infrastructure by updating the planning system and streamlining regulation, while collaboration with network companies and regulator Ofgem would support the “transition to cleaner maritime operations by reforming the outdated grid connections process”.

Try full access to The Telegraph free today. Unlock their award-winning website and essential news app, plus useful tools and expert guides for your money, health and holidays.

Terms and Privacy Policy

Privacy Dashboard

More Info