Greek Ports Rafina, Lavrio, Corfu, Kavala to Get Shore-to-Ship Technology

Corfu port. Photos source: Corfu Port Authority

Four ports in Greece have been included in the latest funding approvals from the European Commission’s Connecting Europe Facility (CEF), which will allocate over 7 billion euros to 134 transport projects across Europe.

The ports of Rafina, Lavrio, Corfu and Kavala have been selected to receive funding for shore-to-ship technology, also known as “cold ironing”, from a pool of 408 CEF applications.

The Hellenic Republic Asset Development Fund (HRADF) announced this week that the proposed projects at these four regional ports will receive a total of 10 million euros. The project submitted to CEF, titled “DECOMPRESS” (DEcarbonising the Greek COMPREhensive PortS), aims to transform the four ports into “green and technologically modern” facilities.

Lavrio port.

Shore-side electricity stations

Specifically, the upgrades for the four ports will include:

– Port of Rafina: Development of four electrical ship charging stations at separate docking spaces within the port.
– Port of Lavrio: Funding for technical studies to establish nine electrical ship charging stations.
– Port of Corfu: Funding for technical studies to establish eleven electrical ship charging stations.
– Port of Kavala: Funding for technical studies to establish nine electrical ship charging stations.

The funding application was submitted to CEF by the port authorities of the four ports, the Hellenic Republic Asset Development Fund (HRADF), the Polytechnic University in Athens, and two companies, Protasis and Hydrus Gates.

Kavala port. Photo source: Kavala Port Authorities

Overall, approximately 20 maritime ports across Ireland, Spain, Finland, the Netherlands, Germany, Malta, Lithuania, Cyprus, Croatia, Greece, and Poland will receive EU support for infrastructure upgrades. Several of these upgrades will enable the ports to provide shore-side electricity to ships or facilitate the transport of renewable energy.

About 83 percent of the 7-billion-euro funding will support projects that align with the EU’s climate objectives, focusing on the improvement and modernization of the EU network of railways, inland waterways, and maritime routes along the trans-European transport (TEN-T) network. Rail projects will receive 80 percent of this 7 billion euros.

The funding will be allocated to major projects aimed at enhancing cross-border rail connections along the TEN-T core network. This includes Rail Baltica in the Baltic Member States, the Lyon-Turin corridor between France and Italy, and the Fehmarnbelt tunnel between Denmark and Germany. Greece has also been awarded funds for four railway projects within its borders.