EU Ports Strategy sets out to equip ports and shipping for energy transition

Key actions focus on accelerated permitting and faster assessment for port energy projects, port electrification and grid connection and energy cooperation partnerships in ports for sustainable use of energy, including hydrogen.

The EU Ports Strategy, coming on the heels of the Industrial Accelerator Act, to which it is very much complementary, sets out actions in five priority areas.

In addition to clean energy, these encompass competitiveness, security, finance and the workforce.

It is also accompanied by an EU Industrial Maritime Strategy aimed at strengthening Europe’s shipping and shipbuilding industries, with their importance highlighted inter alia by their contribution to the region’s energy independence and to the deployment and protection of offshore energy infrastructure.

"With our EU ports and industrial maritime strategies, we are equipping Europe’s ports, shipping and shipbuilding sectors to lead the clean energy transition, secure trade and defence, and remain globally competitive,” said Commissioner for Sustainable Transport and Tourism, Apostolos Tzitzikostas.

“They renew our ambition for European maritime leadership, reinforcing economic security, driving sustainable growth, and supporting quality jobs and territorial cohesion across Europe.”

EU ports

The EU counts 550 ports, of which 327 are maritime, including 99 on islands, and 223 are inland. Approximately three-quarters of all EU imports are delivered by ship through these ports with a value approaching €1.3 trillion.

Overall, the ports handle around 3.4Gt of goods and 395 million passengers annually.

With around 40% of commodities handled being energy-related, ports are becoming strategic energy and industrial hubs, the strategy states, pointing to the upcoming electrification action plan – anticipated towards the end of March – as introducing new measures to support port electrification and promoting greater transparency for onshore power supply pricing.

The Port of Bilbao is an important regional transport and energy hub. In this live EU Energy Projects Podcast, CEO Ivan Jiménez Aira explains their strategy.

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How the Port of Bilbao is redefining ports' role as energy hubs in Europe
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Member states are also called on to support non-wire technologies and smart grid solutions, digitalised procedures and better utilisation of existing grid assets to ensure sufficient grid capacity as port electricity demand grows.

Accelerated permit-granting procedures and faster assessment procedures for strategic energy, recycling and decarbonisation port-related projects are anticipated through the European Grids Package and the Environmental Omnibus.

Regarding energy sharing, the Commission commits to supporting partnerships with ports, local authorities and industrial clusters and also calls on member states to support such cooperation.

Maritime decarbonisation

The other key energy area of the strategy – and overlap with the transition and decarbonisation of the maritime sector in the Industrial Maritime Strategy – is the use of ports for the production and supply of multi-fuels.

The Strategy states the Commission will consider, in the context of the upcoming energy union package, how to promote the availability of sustainable fuels in ports. The upcoming revision of the alternative fuels infrastructure regulation will consider measures to accelerate the deployment of alternative fuels infrastructure for shipping.

To guide investment planning, the Renewable and Low-Carbon Fuels Alliance will, by the end of 2026, assess infrastructure capacity and future needs for the supply of renewable and low-carbon fuels in and to ports.

The Port of Valencia is a testing ground for renewable energy technologies to decarbonise seaport operations, and hydrogen is proving to be a promising alternative to lower their carbon footprint. Aurelio Lázaro explains more.

In addition, with ports vital for hydrogen valleys with cross-border hydrogen import terminals, the Commission will commission a study in early 2026 to underpin its activities in the Clean Energy Ministerial’s hydrogen global ports coalition.

For the maritime sector, the European Commission envisages the increased use of renewable and low-carbon fuels and direct electrification to be feasible.

The Commission intends to consider how to simplify the decarbonisation monitoring and reporting framework and to work with international partners towards global solutions. The Commission also envisages the creation of a European network of green shipping lanes and hubs with facilities including fuel supply and port infrastructure.

To ensure implementation, the Commission intends to establish a high-level maritime industries and ports board chaired by the responsible Commissioner and vice presidents.

The strategies form part of the 'European ocean pact', of which another strand is the forthcoming EU Ocean Act.