BAM expands shore power capacity for Dutch Navy’s vessels

BAM Infra Nederland has expanded the capacity of shore power for the Royal Netherlands Navy’s naval vessels.

As disclosed, the company carried out the shore power installations on behalf of the Ministry of Defense, thereby increasing the capacity to efficiently and safely supply power to modern naval vessels in the naval port.

The commissioning of three new high-voltage installations marks a significant step in the modernization of the navy’s energy infrastructure in Den Helder. 

The Royal Netherlands Navy has been using shore power since 1957 to supply moored ships with energy. This allows the vessels to switch off diesel generators. In 2023, Dutch patrol vessel HNLMS Friesland used Damen Shiprepair Vlissingen’s (DSV) high-capacity shore power supply.

The new installations now make it possible to connect ships with higher power demands via high voltage.

“Modern ships require increasingly more power. Connecting via low voltage is no longer sufficient or would require a large number of cables. With these new installations, we can continue to operate more efficiently and in a future-proof manner,” Vincent Rasch, Project Manager, Energy Distribution Company, Royal Netherlands Navy, said.