Business, / By STA

Koper - Slovenia's sole maritime port operator hosted a conference on Monday to look into technical possibilities of replacing ship fuel with much cleaner electricity.

The conference featured representatives of local authorities, shipping companies and port community, while the port's plans were also backed by Infrastructure Minister Peter Gašperšič and European Transport Commissioner Violeta Bulc.

Luka Koper chairman Dimitrij Zadel said that technical solutions for a switch to alternative fuels needed to be agreed with the shipping companies, which made today's conference the more important.

However, he also noted the wider relevance of the plans: "This issue is important for everyone among us, not just because of the costs but also because of the environment we live in."

The timetable for the implementation of the plans does not depend on Luka Koper alone, the first condition being establishing a suitable network, said Zadel.

Minister Gašperšič said that the goal was to make charging of ships operational by 2025, but that this would require a large amount of power.

"Plugging a ship takes 800 kilowatts, which would be an excessive burden on other users," he said.

This is why the plans to construct an additional 110 kilowatt power line to feed the Primorska region and a pipeline to supply the region with natural gas as an alternative source to power ships.

The conference also noted the importance of transport links to ports, with Gašperšič noting that the investment in the new railway connecting Koper and Divača was key for the port.

Commissioner Bulc spoke about the European Commission's role in linking and coordinating various stakeholders in developing green alternatives as the only way to find sustainable solutions.

The European Commission also plays an important role securing financial incentives for such changes, which are as a rule also financially demanding.

Bulc said that it would be essential for ports to modernise and use modern technologies to be able to keep up with new business models.