Stakeholder Meeting Held within the BREEZE Project

The Port Governance Agency organized a stakeholder meeting in Golubac within the framework of the BREEZE Project – Berth Electricity for Zero Emission in Ports, bringing together representatives of port operators and shipping companies. The participants were presented with the project’s main objectives and expected outcomes.

It was emphasized that the BREEZE Project was launched in May this year and is being implemented under the Interreg Europe Programme. The project brings together nine partners from eight European countries and will last for four years. Its primary goal is to support the introduction and implementation of Onshore Power Supply (OPS) in European ports, enabling vessels to connect to the electrical grid while berthed instead of using fossil fuels.

The Port Governance Agency participates in the project as an IPA partner, contributing to efforts aimed at improving energy efficiency and reducing emissions in the port sector. The project is based on the exchange of experiences among partners to accelerate the deployment of OPS systems in European ports. For Serbia, this cooperation holds particular importance, as the introduction of OPS technology will make it the first non-EU country to implement such a solution.

Moreover, cooperation with partners that are rapidly advancing in their energy transition can significantly support Serbia’s own progress in this area. European regulations stipulate that all ports within the core Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T) must ensure OPS availability by 2030, while the river cruise sector is witnessing a growing demand for shore-based power supply.

It was concluded that the implementation of this system will greatly contribute to meeting the demands of the cruise industry in a timely manner and to maintaining successful nautical seasons in Serbia. Stakeholder meetings therefore represent a key component of the project – they enable knowledge transfer from other countries and facilitate the discussion of specific opportunities for accelerating the implementation of OPS systems in Serbia.

The Port Governance Agency emphasized that the active involvement of stakeholders is of great importance for the next stages of the project’s implementation, as their proposals will serve as a valuable contribution to defining measures and activities in the field of energy transition in inland water transport.