Maartje Janzen
Junior Consultant
Read time
4 min read
Date
6/4/2026
.svg)
The ambitions in the port are clear: we need to move away from fossil fuels. Electric cranes, shore power for vessels, and battery-powered AGVs are the future. However, terminals applying for the necessary grid connections are currently facing a major bottleneck. The power grid is reaching its limits, and the transition to zero-emission operations is being constrained by a lack of grid capacity.
While grid congestion is a growing challenge for the maritime industry worldwide, the Port of Rotterdam serves as a clear example of its urgency. Recent updates from Dutch grid operators TenneT and Stedin show that in just two years, the waiting list for new or upgraded power connections in the port area has increased fivefold, reaching over 2,000 megawatts. Although grid operators are investing heavily, major structural solutions are often years away. In the Rotterdam case, new high-voltage substations are not expected to be fully operational until 2032.
Port logistics, however, cannot be put on hold. Terminals need to keep moving forward today. If expanding a grid connection isn't an immediate option, the alternative is to be much smarter with the capacity we already have. This doesn't necessarily mean buying more hardware. It means using automation to increase flexibility and adopting a new approach on the terminal.
In their recent updates, grid operators emphasised that the short-term solution for ports lies in flexible capacity, spreading out power usage to avoid heavy peaks. But in a 24/7 terminal environment, you cannot simply tell a crane operator to stop unloading a vessel because the local power grid happens to be busy. This is where terminals must rely on smart energy management to create their own flexibility.
The first step is transforming automation from a purely logistical tool into an energy traffic controller. This is especially important for heavy machinery that is either directly connected to the grid or relies on plug-in fast charging. If multiple machines plug in simultaneously during a break, or perform power-intensive movements at the exact same moment, the power demand spikes abruptly.
By linking the Terminal Operating System (TOS) with smart energy software, the system acts as a traffic controller. It can slightly stagger power-intensive actions or calculate exactly which machine urgently needs a charge and which can safely wait. This 'peak shaving' flattens the terminal’s energy curve, staying strictly within grid limits without sacrificing productivity.
If you cannot draw more power from the grid during peak hours, you need to store it when there is room. By installing Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS), terminals can absorb power during off-peak hours or when local solar production is high, deploying it precisely when logistics demand it most. Looking slightly further ahead, hydrogen will play an important role as the ultimate energy buffer. By storing green energy as a gas in large tanks, terminals can fuel heavy equipment completely independent of the local power grid's real-time capacity.
Finally, overcoming grid limitations is not just an individual challenge, but a collaborative one. Terminals traditionally operate as energy islands, but a neighbouring cold storage facility, for example, might require high power during the heat of the day, while your terminal experiences a logistical peak during the evening shift. By forming a local 'Energy Hub' and sharing capacity, businesses can utilise the existing grid far more efficiently. This doesn't require laying new cables, but rather trust, smart agreements, and collaboration between neighbouring companies.
Yet, all these solutions are only half the battle. While smart systems calculate optimal energy flows, implementing them requires a fundamental shift on the terminal floor. As TenneT recently observed: "We see in practice that there is more flexibility than is often thought, especially given the often inflexible production processes."
The challenge here lies in shifting these operational priorities. For decades, port logistics focused purely on maximum throughput. Now, operations must balance speed with energy efficiency. In practice, the terminal planner's role is evolving from just planning logistics to planning energy. This demands a cultural shift where teams learn to trust automated systems, for instance, briefly delay a charging session to manage power peaks, knowing the operation will still meet the overall schedule. Ultimately, investing in people to embrace this flexibility makes operations both sustainable and highly resilient against grid limitations.
The Port of Rotterdam correctly pointed out that unlocking this short-term capacity is financially attractive, but it almost always requires custom solutions. There is no 'one-size-fits-all' solution for grid congestion. Every terminal has a unique layout, different equipment, and specific logistical peaks.
Navigating this transition requires aligning your hardware, software, and human workforce with new realities. This is exactly where Solid Port Solutions steps in. With our extensive operational knowledge, we challenge and improve your processes to handle these new constraints. Whether it is advising on the right port equipment, implementing smart port systems to optimise your workflows, or training and supporting your employees during the change process. We help you translate capacity limits into workable logistical rules, ensuring your terminal operates efficiently on the grid of today.
