New Shore Power Facilities at Port Metro Vancouver

The Government of Canada and Port Metro Vancouver have allocated funding for the installation of shore power facilities for container vessels at two Port Metro Vancouver container terminals.

The total project funding is CAD 12 million (around USD 9.25 million) where CAD 6 million are from Transport Canada’s Shore Power Technology for Ports Program and CAD 6 million from Port Metro Vancouver.

CAD 4.97 million will be used to install shore power technology at a berth at Global Container Terminal’s Deltaport terminal in Delta, B.C.

“Port Metro Vancouver is mandated to facilitate Canada’s trade while protecting the environment and supporting communities. The installation of shore power at container terminals in Vancouver and Delta represents another positive step in ongoing work to reduce marine shipping emissions, work that has resulted in significant improvements in Metro Vancouver air quality. We are very proud of the collaboration between the Government of Canada, Port Metro Vancouver, BC Hydro, DP World and Global Container Terminals to bring shore power facilities for container ships to our port”, said Robin Silvester, President and Chief Executive Officer of Port Metro Vancouver.

Shore power reduces emissions by allowing vessels to draw power from the local electrical grid and thereby turn off their diesel engines while in a port.

For the installation of shore power technology at a berth at DP World Vancouver’s Centerm Container terminal in Vancouver and necessary upgrades on nearby BC Hydro property CAD 7.3 million will be spent.

Each ship connection to shore power is estimated to avoid greenhouse gas emissions of 75 tonnes.

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.

The use of shore power at Port Metro Vancouver container terminal is aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions, contributing to Canada’s emissions reducing targets, and assisting 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.