Green electricity instead of diesel generators at 13 berths at Donauraum Wien around the Reichsbrücke shipping center and Port of Freudenau – CO₂ avoidance of 17,350 tons per year
Around 2,700 cabin ships dock each year at the Reichsbrücke shipping center alone, which is operated by Donauraum Wien, and bring around 413,000 visitors to the city. For more environmentally friendly shipping, Wien Energie is now putting a new shore power infrastructure into operation: as a result, at a total of 13 berths at Donauraum Wien (Reichsbrücke shipping center) as well as at the Port of Vienna in Freudenau, ships are supplied, while they are in port, via shore power stations with 100 percent green electricity from Wien Energie. Both Donauraum Wien as well as the Port of Vienna are companies of Wien Holding. The electricity replaces the use of diesel generators and thus contributes to cleaner air and a quieter environment on site, because an average cabin ship requires per day in port as much electricity as an Austrian household in an entire year. Through the use of shore power, around 17,350 tons of CO₂ emissions can be avoided annually. This corresponds – depending on the calculation basis – roughly to the CO₂ binding of more than one million trees per year.
“Vienna is pursuing ambitious goals for a sustainable, secure and independent energy supply. To achieve these, we rely on a broad package of measures that also consistently includes less visible CO₂ emitters. The shore power infrastructure enables ships to use clean energy during their stay in Vienna. This strengthens the quality of life along the Danube waterfront and in the entire city,” said Barbara Novak, Deputy Mayor and Executive City Councillor for Finance, Economy, Labour, International Affairs and Digitalisation.
Electricity during the stay in port is essential for onboard operations, the air conditioning systems and the kitchens of the ships. Up to now, diesel generators were used for this, the switch to green electricity now creates important advantages for the people of Vienna and the surroundings: especially the area along the Reichsbrücke is a popular leisure area for residents, who benefit from improved air quality and a clear reduction of the noise level. “The energy transition in Vienna is not only happening on land, but also on water. The cabin ships that visit our city will in future use green electricity from Wien Energie at the shore power charging stations during their stay in port. This leads to less noise, significantly lower exhaust emissions and a noticeably more environmentally friendly shipping on the Vienna Danube waterfront,” said Ulli Sima, City Councillor for Urban Development, Mobility and Wiener Stadtwerke.
Shore power: Clean, quiet, future-proof
After a successful test operation in autumn 2025, up to 50 docked ships can now be supplied simultaneously through the shore power stations with green electricity. “With the new shore power infrastructure, we bring our competence from e-mobility also into shipping – and show how this too can become quieter, more efficient and more environmentally friendly,” explains Sascha Zabransky, Managing Director of Wien Energie. During the entire stay of the ships, onboard operations – from lighting to air conditioning up to the kitchen – run reliably via the land-side infrastructure. Billing is carried out, as known from e-mobility, transparently according to delivered kilowatt hours. The Powerlock cables carried directly by the ships for connection to the shore power stations are considered standard along the Danube and are already proven in event technology. Thus, a simple and uncomplicated connection to green electricity in port is ensured. For the new shore power infrastructure, a total of around 25,000 meters of cable were laid at the Reichsbrücke shipping center and Port of Freudenau.
“The new shore power facilities show that modern port infrastructure and climate protection can go hand in hand. The ships that dock at our companies Donauraum Wien and Port of Vienna are now supplied with 100 percent green electricity instead of diesel. With this, we make a further contribution to a liveable and sustainable city,” said Oliver Stribl, Managing Director of Wien Holding.
With the commissioning of the facilities in Vienna, shore power infrastructure is available in all Austrian Danube federal states. Due to the large number of ships and long layover times, the energy demand for ships in Vienna is higher than at any other place along the Austrian Danube.
“With the successful commissioning of the shore power facilities, we have now reached an important milestone and taken the next step towards more climate-friendly shipping in Vienna. What we announced during the planning phase has now become reality: river cruise ships can dock at our berths today in a significantly more environmentally friendly way. For us at Donauraum Wien, this not only means a substantial reduction in emissions, but also a noticeable improvement in the quality of stay along the Danube. Less noise and cleaner air benefit both residents and visitors alike. In doing so, we are strengthening our role as a modern, sustainable infrastructure partner and actively contributing to making the Vienna Danube region future-ready and climate-friendly,” said Ilse Stockinger and Christoph Caspar, Managing Directors of Donauraum Wien.
The measures are co-financed as part of the project “Renewable Shore Power – Vienna Pier” from the EU funding programme Connecting Europe Facility.
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