Freeport East has joined the effort to decarbonise heavy goods vehicles travelling to and from the Port of Felixstowe, providing an initial £50,000 to support Maritime Transport's plans for a new electric truck hub on a freeport site.

The proposed hub, led by Maritime and planned for a site on Anzani Avenue in Felixstowe, could deliver up to 6MW of high-speed, open-access charging for electric HGVs, as well as other heavy vehicles and buses. To put that capacity in perspective, 6MW is comparable to the power demand of several thousand homes and reflects the scale of energy infrastructure needed to charge heavy vehicles quickly between port journeys. Potential users include hauliers, logistics operators, transport firms, employment sites and major infrastructure projects in the Freeport East region, including Sizewell C and other major energy projects.

Freeport East's financial contribution, which could increase in subsequent phases, will help Maritime Transport advance the project through the next stage of planning and technical development, including preparatory work toward a future planning application to East Suffolk Council. If plans progress smoothly, the hub could be operational in 2028, a timeline that also reflects the lead times typically involved in securing grid connections and consenting for high-power charging sites in the UK.

The facility would strengthen Freeport East's broader Green Freight Corridor initiative, launched in partnership with East Midlands Freeport in May 2024, which aims to decarbonise freight transport and support skills and employment along one of the UK's most important logistics routes linking the east coast port with the Midlands logistics heartland. The Port of Felixstowe, Britain's largest container port, currently records more than 5,000 HGV journeys per day, of which only a small minority are electrified, meaning the site sits at a key junction of national freight flows where infrastructure decisions can affect emissions across much of the UK supply chain. The initiative also sits within the UK government's freeports programme, which offers tax and customs incentives to encourage investment in designated zones, including in green infrastructure.

Steve Beel, CEO of Freeport East, commented: "Decarbonising freight is one of the biggest challenges facing logistics in our region, and access to reliable and high-capacity charging infrastructure is a critical part of the solution. It is also a key part of maintaining the Port of Felixstowe's leadership position for international trade, with many of the leading shipping lines, logistics operators and freight customers wanting to see lower emissions in the sector. This facility, under the leadership of Maritime Transport, could help fill a real gap for hauliers and other operators. Anyone interested in how the project could support their decarbonisation objectives would be welcome to get in touch as the development evolves."

Tom Williams, Deputy CEO of Maritime Transport, added: "This funding allows us to take the next step in assessing what a full-scale, open-access eHGV charging facility in Felixstowe could look like. We're working closely with our specialist infrastructure partners and with Freeport East to test the case for the site, and we're encouraged by the progress so far."

The proposed hub reflects a wider regional need to expand access to reliable, high-power charging infrastructure for freight operators as the sector moves toward electrification, with road freight among the harder-to-abate parts of UK transport emissions. Key markers to watch as the project develops include the future planning application to East Suffolk Council, any decision by Freeport East to increase its funding in subsequent phases, and further deployments along the Green Freight Corridor between Felixstowe and the Midlands. Freeport East will continue to work with Maritime Transport as the project develops, and welcomes interest from hauliers, logistics operators and other stakeholders regarding the proposed facility and how it could support their own decarbonisation objectives.

Source: Hellenic Shipping News (originally Port of Felixstowe)