Kees Klaassen, Head of Technical Services at OVET BV
Henry De Meulmeester, installation manager OVET BV
In the Zeeland part of North Sea Port, it is difficult for large consumers to get new connections or extensions. This severely limits expansion of terminals, electrification of cranes and other equipment, and construction of heavier shore power facilities.
Port areas like Vlissingen-Oost are simultaneously developing wind and solar energy on a large scale, but due to grid congestion, limited feed-in options, lack of sufficient storage and smart control and complex rules around direct delivery to neighbours or ships, this remains largely untapped. Electrification of equipment and shore power for ships also requires substantial additional power that is not always available now, putting CO₂ reduction plans under pressure - while customers, government and port authority demand acceleration.
Technical manager Kees Klaassen and installation manager Henry De Meulmeester explain how OVET smartly addresses constraints by accurately mapping consumption and getting the most out of existing installations. OVET B.V. specialises in the transhipment, storage and handling of dry bulk. The company has terminals in Vlissingen (Kaloothaven) and Terneuzen (Massagoedhaven). Its core activities are unloading ships and storing mainly dry bulk products on its own premises. Key assets include four floating cranes. These can be deployed in Terneuzen, Vlissingen and at customers' premises. OVET values flexibility and wants to keep room to expand activities and be able to store and tranship new products, which often requires new machinery and additional power.
About 15 years ago, OVET in Terneuzen was struggling with problems around a number of controllers. At the time, HyTEPS carried out an analysis and produced a report with recommendations that the company gratefully used. Recently, OVET in Vlissingen found that consumption was approaching the limit of the available connection capacity and the desire arose to monitor energy consumption much better and they decided to consult HyTEPS again. Meters have since been installed and an advanced energy management system has been commissioned. Metering is present on all low-voltage installations behind the high-voltage connection, and installations spread across the site are also continuously monitored. This provides detailed insight into where and when power is required.
With the available data, OVET can make targeted choices: where is peak shaving possible, where should power be increased and where can existing capacity be used smarter? The measurement data sometimes show surprising peaks and effects that were not previously visible. Employees can log in at any location and consult all relevant data. This proves its value in practice. When it was reported from the ICT department that a UPS had been tripped, the measuring equipment allowed us to quickly find out exactly what had happened. The system makes it possible to zoom in on specific events or times of day and is not only used in case of failures, but increasingly also preventively.
Concrete action points follow from the Power Quality reports in Flushing. OVET has been up against the upper limit of power to be taken off in recent months. Now, peaks and overruns are clearly identified and the cause can be traced so that targeted measures can be taken.
OVET's cranes run in island operation and are not directly connected to the grid. Voltage fluctuations and harmonic pollution also play a role there. Large fluctuations occur when lifting, lowering and slewing. These are absorbed with braking resistors and ultracaps, among other things, but the voltage does not become completely constant. What is interesting is the possibility of better capturing released energy, e.g. during hoisting, and reusing it in hoisting. Energy management thinking helps to look at optimisation and savings here too.
There is an increasing demand for shore power for large vessels, with associated high power demand. If part of this can be met by renewable sources, this offers opportunities. At the same time, this requires close cooperation with grid operators, partners and customers in the field. Customers are showing growing interest in OVET's metering data, partly because of their own reporting obligations around energy. In consultation with HyTEPS, we are looking at how specific data can be shared via dashboards. This saves administration and increases transparency.
Thanks to measurements, OVET can also visualise and timely discuss contamination caused by customers' variable speed drives, for example, so that this is taken into account during conversions. In addition, in consultation with other large consumers on site, heavy installations are prevented from being switched on at the same time to avoid unnecessary peak loads.
OVET has received a commitment to a heavier connection, offering additional scope. At the same time, a clear energy management system helps prevent the immediate need for another reinforcement. At the Vlissingen site, there are plans for further expansion with higher-consumption machinery and installations; the current system plays a key role in accommodating this optimally.
Comprehensive metering and monitoring is also expected to be implemented in Terneuzen soon. Once similar metering is carried out at both locations, data can be compared and further improvement opportunities exploited. Energy management and the accurate recording of consumption are thus becoming an increasingly important part of business operations - not only from the perspective of European legislation and regulations, but also to keep a grip on costs and to remain future-proof.
