Bornholm lacks power capacity for cruise ships

Bornholm is on track to host a record 66 cruise ships this year, but the island’s power grid cannot supply shore power to let them switch off their engines, Danish broadcaster DR reports.

The shortfall stems from limited capacity in the subsea cable connecting Bornholm to Sweden, which currently delivers a maximum of 35 MW. A large cruise ship requires about 11 MW to plug into shore power, a measure the EU mandates by 2030 to cut emissions.

Kåre Press-Kristensen, an environmental engineer and senior adviser at Green Global Future, called the delay a missed opportunity. “Electrification is the cornerstone of the green transition,” he said. “Someone has been asleep at the wheel.”

Jeppe La Cour, commercial director at Rønne Harbour, said the port had aimed to meet the 2030 deadline but cannot deliver without sufficient power. “You can’t cut hair from a bald man,” he said. If no solution is found, the port may cap cruise visits at 25 ships a year, risking years of revenue-building work.

Energinet, which operates the subsea cable, said demand has surged faster than anticipated. Klaus Winther, deputy director, noted that Bornholm’s power needs have multiplied, driven by cruise ships, electric ferries, and other new consumers. The existing cable is also nearing the end of its lifespan in the 2030s.

A planned offshore wind farm, Energiø Bornholm, could eventually supply the island’s grid, but it is not expected to be operational for about a decade. Connecting Bornholm’s network to the wind farm instead of replacing the Swedish cable could save Denmark around 1 billion kroner, according to government estimates.

Marie Münster, a professor of energy systems at DTU and a member of the Danish Climate Council, compared the grid to a congested motorway. “If everyone wants to drive at the same time on a two-lane road, we have a problem,” she said. “We need to expand the motorway.”

Emissions from a single large cruise ship idling in port are equivalent to those of nearly 4,000 cars for nitrogen oxides and 5,500 cars for fine particles, DR reported.