Consortium validates grid-independent hydrogen power hub for ports

ELIRE Maritime and consortium partners on Monday (25 May) announced the successful completion of the UKRI-funded Clean Maritime Demonstrator Competition Round 6 (CMDC6) programme.

CMDC6 is a GBP 1 million (USD 1.3 million) feasibility programme and initiative delivered by Innovate UK in partnership with the UK Shipping Office for Reducing Emissions (UK SHORE), part of the UK Department for Transport.

The partners are Ricardo UK, Schneider Electric, Rux Energy UK, Triton Anchor Europe, OREC (Offshore Renewable Energy Catapult), and the University of Strathclyde. 

The programme successfully validated one of the world’s first fully grid-independent Hydrogen Floating Power Hub systems capable of delivering clean power directly to vessels at berth without requiring traditional shore-side grid infrastructure. 

The consortium demonstrated that large vessels can realistically be powered at berth today using existing hydrogen, battery, fuel cell, and electrical technologies integrated into a modular floating maritime system designed for rapid deployment across global ports.

The solution can now be deployed and would be expected to support the reduction of up to 500,000 tonnes of CO₂ emissions globally over the next decade through a scalable maritime clean energy infrastructure capable of operating independently from constrained port grids.

“Ports are under increasing pressure to decarbonise while facing major infrastructure constraints,” said Luke Jenkinson, Founder and CEO of ELIRE Maritime. 

“The Hydrogen Power Hub proves that ports do not need to wait years for grid upgrades to begin reducing emissions. We have validated a practical, scalable, and deployable system capable of delivering clean power directly where it is needed most.”

The Hydrogen Power Hub establishes a new category of maritime infrastructure by moving energy and power generation as well as storage onto water rather than relying on fixed, land-based systems constrained by grid access, cost, permitting, and land availability.

At full configuration, this particular validated system is capable of delivering 5MW of continuous clean power output directly to vessels at berth, enough to support medium-sized cruise vessels and other large maritime assets requiring both 6.6kV and 11kV shore power connections. This system integrates three modular hexagonal floating platforms with a combined 1,200 sqm footprint, approximately 45MWh of battery energy storage capacity, modular fuel cell systems, hydrogen-powered generation, onboard renewable generation, and advanced grid-forming AC/DC electrical architecture.

The consortium confirmed the platform can deliver approximately 91MWh of energy per week while supporting repeated vessel charging operations without requiring major civil works, land reclamation, or expensive grid reinforcement.

The system uses approximately 7,500 to 8,000kg of hydrogen weekly, stored within modular ISO-compatible low-pressure storage containers integrated directly into the floating infrastructure. The current layout accommodates seven onboard hydrogen tanks, with refuelling operations expected approximately twice weekly, enabling ports to adopt hydrogen incrementally without requiring permanent hydrogen infrastructure during early deployment phases.

Instead of relying on oversized generators, the platform uses modular 1.3MW fuel cells operating continuously throughout the week to gradually charge the onboard batteries before rapidly dispatching energy when vessels arrive at berth.

Photo credit: ELIRE Maritime
Published: 26 May, 2026