Stillstrom, Danish Port Exploring Large-Scale Maritime Electrification at Energy Island Bornholm

Stillstrom and Port of Roenne have teamed up on a study looking into integrating offshore wind energy with maritime electrification. Maersk’s offshore power and charging solutions developer and the Danish port have initiated a joint white paper to explore how Energy Island Bornholm could serve as a blueprint for this kind of integration.

The study, Energy Island Bornholm Powering Maritime Electrification, examines how renewable power production and future grid capacity can support charging solutions for electric ferries, cargo vessels and offshore service vessels, with an aim to help shipowners invest in battery-powered fleets and advance the decarbonisation of European transport beyond road electrification, according to Stillstrom.

In the white paper, set to be published in Q1 2026, Stillstrom and Port of Roenne plan to present a scalable roadmap for ports and offshore hubs preparing for the next wave of maritime electrification.

For Energy Island Bornholm, procurement of the transmission infrastructure is underway, while auctioning the planned 3 GW of offshore wind capacity to be connected to it is awaiting the Danish government’s decision. The project is planned to comprise two offshore wind farm sites, an HVDC converter station on Bornholm, and connecting cables to Zealand and beyond.

According to Stillstrom’s Senior Regulatory & Public Affairs Manager, Sune Strøm, Energy Island Bornholm offers a unique opportunity to demonstrate how offshore wind energy can support vessel charging in one of Europe’s busiest shipping corridors.

“Maritime electrification is the next frontier of Europe’s green transition. But for shipowners to invest in battery-powered vessels, charging infrastructure must be built ahead of demand – both offshore and in ports,” said Sune Strøm.

The company says that conventional cargo vessels passing through Bornholm consume considerable amounts of fossil fuel every year. As battery technology continues to mature, battery-driven vessels are becoming increasingly viable, according to Stillstrom, which estimates that electrifying this segment would require around 17 TWh of new electricity consumption to charge the battery-powered vessels, replacing annually, in the range of 3 million MT of marine gas oil (MGO), roughly saving EUR 2 billion in oil imports.

In the joint study, Port of Roenne contributes practical insights into the types of infrastructure that may be required as maritime operations move toward electrification, including future ferry charging, clean shore power for cruise vessels and offshore charging opportunities in the Baltic Sea.

“Energy Island Bornholm gives us a valuable opportunity to better understand what future maritime energy needs might look like. Our contribution to this collaboration is to share operational insights and explore how different charging scenarios could work in practice. With our central location in the Baltic Sea, we see a natural role in helping to qualify the discussion about what will be required to support the wider transition”, said Jeppe La Cour, CCO of Port of Roenne.

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