Port of Grenaa is reaching out in the debate about a possible expansion of the Port of Aarhus. In a consultation response, Grenaa has pointed out that at the tip of Djursland there are good opportunities to collaborate to utilize land, machinery and skilled crane operators to help handle bulk goods such as grain, feed, fertilizer, wood chips, shards, etc.
The port of Grenaa is a traditional industrial and commercial port with a local plan that ensures that there will be no year-round housing on the port. For the port, this means that products can be handled without undue inconvenience to the local population. It is an industrial and metalworking area, which can also be noisy, but always with respect for the surroundings and the environment.
For Port of Grenaa , it is important that the SDGs are widely embedded in the organisation. Even in the work on the sustainability strategy for 2025, employees have been involved.
Employees are now invited back for debate and joint discussion on how individuals can bring the SDGs into play in their everyday lives. One morning in February, everyone came together for a joint workshop and SDG game at Port Centre. A morning with room for dialogue and broader knowledge of the UN SDGs.
COWI as word and game controller
COWI facilitated the workshop and therefore acted as both word and game master during the morning. Grenaa Port's selected SDGs were highlighted and concrete everyday cases were discussed in the groups, each with its own "game board". A game where it was not about finishing first, but about having a good debate about the green transition.
Concrete proposals for action are prioritised
The result was an effective morning, where everyone had the opportunity to contribute concrete ideas based on their daily work. A lot of good and concrete suggestions for action were collected, after which the management now goes into the "engine room" and does the difficult but important exercise of prioritising which actions are possible to take up.
The Port of Grenaa's sustainability strategy has so far been to target specific and selected elements related to the SDGs.
"As an industrial and commercial port with an organization of only 22 individuals, we can't work on all the SDGs at once. But we can wholeheartedly pursue carefully and strategically selected goals. Actions that make a difference in the short and long term - and make good sense for both the environment and the bottom line," says CEO of Port of Grenaa Henrik Carstensen, who is also very pleased with the commitment of the employees.
"We are already doing many, many good things and we are also on track with several elements of our sustainability strategy. Small and big steps in the right direction towards the green transition", Henrik Carstensen emphasises.
Ice in a Swedish harbour sent a large wind turbine project past Port of Grenaa in the spring of 2021. A large area was quickly prepared and all available equipment and crews were deployed.
For months, DHL Global Forwarding was in the planning phase of shipping wind turbine parts to the Stavro onshore wind project in northern Sweden. A Swedish wind farm with two so-called sub-sites totalling 254MW. The wind project was a Siemens Gamesa (SGRE) project consisting of 62 wind turbines to be shipped from Europe and Africa to the Swedish port of Köpmanholmen.
In the transport flow, mill parts also had to be delivered over the winter, when there are ice restrictions in Köpmanholmen and several ports in the Gulf of Bothnia. DHL Global Forwarding had prepared for this and therefore investigated a setup of transhipping the cargo from large vessels to smaller vessels with a higher ice class. That is, ships with, for example, extra reinforcements to ensure that they can sail where severe ice occurs.
In order to create the necessary flexibility in the project, Port of Grenaa was chosen as the hub port for the transhipment of the turbine components. The final setup could only be planned at the last minute, so Port of Grenaa had short preparation time for the task. All conditions related to cranes, equipment, hinterland and water depth were met in Grenaa. And Port of Grenaa was able to step in at short notice. The task consisted of unloading the mill parts to shore, mounting them on new frames and reloading them onto coasters that could call at the port of destination in Sweden. In total, 150 large mill components were handled in Grenaa over the period March to May 2021.
A port that could deliver the whole package
"We had several ports in mind and ended up choosing Port of Grenaa, as they could step in at very short notice in Grenaa. They showed great flexibility, which was needed for this project. In addition, Port of Grenaa was able to supply manpower, cranes, handling equipment in close cooperation with Østship ApS, which has been the coordinating Danish party in this Swedish project. It has been alpha omega to have a cooperation and sparring partner to whom we could confidently entrust such a large part of the task and know that the task would be solved in the best possible way," says Jacob Jensen, Project Manager at DHL Global Forwarding about the choice of Grenaa.
Port of Grenaa established a 20,000 m2 new site in 14 days
"Due to the high level of activity at the port, we had to think outside the box to accommodate the project," says Theis Gisselbæk, CCO at Port of Grenaa. Within 14 days, we set up a 20,000 m2 dockside heavy lift hub area at the port just for the purpose, and our skilled team worked hard to get the space ready before the turbine parts arrived.
Handling equipment and skilled manpower
It wasn't just a new hub area that needed to be established. With three large project carriers arriving in three weeks and outbound vessels departing simultaneously, the port's experienced quayside crew was in extraordinary demand. In addition, most of the equipment pool at Port of Grenaa was in use for the job, including trucks, reach stackers, cranes and other handling equipment. A flexible and skilled crew worked flat out over the two months to complete the job.
At the beginning of the project, Port of Grenaa took delivery of a new mobile crane. A Liebherr 550 (left) with a lifting capacity of up to 144 tonnes, which benefited the project.
"We have worked with Port of Grenaa on several occasions. We know that they also have a strong focus on safety, health and that all guidelines regarding good working conditions and terms are adhered to - even in larger projects like this, where things have to move quickly and in a higher unit", continues Jacob Jensen, Project Manager at DHL Global Forwarding.
Good and strong cooperation with local companies
The project has not only been limited to crews and equipment at the port of Grenaa, but has also involved several local companies in Grenaa. The size of the project has meant that many actors have been involved. There has been good co-operation and co-ordination between other tasks and operations at the port to ensure that the project was completed on time.
100% Danish produced and climate friendly power will in the future drive the activities at Port of Grenaa and cement the port's strong ambitions for the green transition. This is the result of a new supplier agreement that has just been signed with the NRGi Group.
Port of partnerships for a green world 2025
This is the strategic ambition of one of Denmark's major commercial and industrial ports, which is stepping up its efforts to contribute to Danish climate goals in a new green ten-year partnership agreement with NRGi. In future, the energy group will ensure that the port's operations are powered by green electricity from renewable sources, and in the longer term even supply locally produced power from newly established projects in the local area.
Shared ambitions for a greener world
"The world is changing and the Port of Grenaa is changing with it. It is both our desire and obligation to contribute to creating green growth and to promote sustainability wherever possible - internally and externally. Therefore, we are pleased to enter into an agreement with NRGi, who shares our ambitions for a greener world," explains Henrik Carstensen, CEO at Port of Grenaa.
"The Port of Grenaa works actively with the UN's Sustainable Development Goals, and with this agreement, we have placed particular emphasis on the possibility of having a partner that can offer climate-friendly power and has the desire and ambition for a locally anchored collaboration in the long term," adds Kirsten Hvid Schmidt, CFO at Port of Grenaa.
Well in line with the NRGi Group's wishes
On the other side of the partnership, NRGi is pleased with the agreement, which fits well with the Group's desire to engage in a collaboration that not only supports but accelerates the green transition.
"We look forward to entering into a partnership where we can contribute to promoting the green transition locally in the area and in the longer term, that the cooperation contributes to producing more green power for the benefit of the entire energy system," says Jakob Bundgaard, CEO at NRGi Renewables.
"A ten-year agreement has been signed where NRGi will initially service the port with green power from NRGi's own wind turbines at Tagmarken in Thisted. The ambition is that Port of Grenaa contributes to the realisation of a future project by entering into a ten-year PPA (fixed price agreement). The agreement provides security of electricity billing on a project that will be established without subsidies and which will ultimately contribute with more green power in the East Jutland electricity grid to the benefit of us all", states Jakob Bundgaard.
About Port of Grenaa Port of Grenaa is one of Denmark's largest commercial and industrial ports with a central location and plenty of room for development. Access to the sea is popularly what Port of Grenaa lives by. A proud hub in the centre of Denmark - the gateway to Kattegat.
About NRGi NRGi is a champion and accelerator for the green transition in Denmark - and for a better future. NRGi is owned by 220,000 shareholders and consists of 1,500 dedicated employees, all contributing to a greener and more prosperous Denmark.
