Shore power funding for Port Vancouver

VANCOUVER, BC—Funding has been secured for the installation of shore power facilities for container vessels at two Port Metro Vancouver container terminals.

Shore power reduces emissions by allowing vessels to draw power from the local electrical grid and thereby turn off their diesel engines while in port. The federal government and Port Metro Vancouver are together providing $12 million in funding. $6 million from Transport Canada’s Shore Power Technology for Ports Program and $6 million from Port Metro Vancouver.

$4.97 million ($2.485 million from Transport Canada, $2.485 million from Port Metro Vancouver) will be used to install shore power technology at a berth at Global Container Terminal’s Deltaport terminal in Delta, B.C.

Additional project partners are  BC Hydro, Global Container Terminals – operators of Deltaport terminals – and DP World Vancouver, operators of Vancouver’s Centerm.

Port Metro Vancouver was the first port in Canada to implement shore power for cruise ships, and since 2009, over 11,000 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions have been avoided. Each ship connection to shore power is estimated to avoid greenhouse gas emissions of 75 tonnes. The use of shore power at Port Metro Vancouver container terminals will further reduce greenhouse gas emissions, contribute to Canada’s emissions reduction targets, and assist Port Metro Vancouver in reaching targets under the Northwest Ports Clean Air Strategy, a collaboration between Port Metro Vancouver and the ports of Tacoma and Seattle, to reduce emissions in the shared Puget Sound – Georgia Basin airshed.

Shore power will also ease the impacts of growing Canadian trade on communities by reducing generator noise associated with the auxiliary engines of container vessels while in port.

Both shore power operations are expected to be operational by March 31, 2017.