Frankfurt Airport (FRA) is upgrading its ground power connections and mobile ground power units to rely solely on electric drives.
By 2040, this initiative will see the complete phase-out of diesel generators that supply power to the on-board systems of parked aircraft on the apron.
Instead, stationary 400 Hertz connections will be installed at check-in positions. Where this is not possible due to infrastructure limitations, Ground Power Units (GPU) with battery power will be used.
Currently, eight E-GPUs and 61 diesel-powered units are in use at Frankfurt Airport.
Christoph Schiller from Asset Management Central Infrastructure at Fraport AG said:The first goal is to connect handling positions that do not yet have a stationary ground power connection to the electrical supply network. Because with every diesel unit that we banish from the apron, we manage to save up to 30,000 litres of diesel annually and significantly reduce our CO2 emissions.
This modernisation is being supported by 215,000 EUR from the Federal Ministry for Digital and Transport’s Ground Power Directive programme.
In total, 307,000 EUR will be invested in the new connections, the electric GPUs and the corresponding charging infrastructure.
