The Port of Seattle has released its Seattle Waterfront Clean Energy Strategy, created in partnership with the Northwest Seaport Alliance (NWSA) and Seattle City Light (SCL).
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Overall, the strategy delivers technical, policy and planning recommendations for how the port and its partners should plan and build the infrastructure needed to support a zero-emission maritime transition by 2050.
The strategy assesses the power infrastructure investments and strategies needed to support the electrification of buildings, vehicles, vessels and equipment on port-owned properties. It also projects that the power required to support the port’s operations at peak times will increase fourfold by 2050 and that continued planning and investment in clean energy infrastructure will be critical to the port reaching its sustainability goals.
The strategy provides eight recommendations covering future capacity, site assessments, critical facilities, masterplanning, infrastructure management, grant project readiness, clean technology development and business models and financial strategies to support the capital investment recommendations. The port will engage the public on the overall strategy and building of these projects into capital plans.
Researching the Seattle Waterfront Clean Energy Strategy
In 2021, the port, NWSA and SCL entered a 10-year partnership to support the joint planning and implementation of clean energy infrastructure, including the development of the strategy. The strategy was developed through an analytical process that considered port-owned maritime properties along Seattle’s Elliott Bay, the Duwamish River, the Lake Washington Ship Canal and Shilshole Bay.
It provides insights into current and future energy use across port-owned properties, as well as the on-terminal and utility-owned power infrastructure serving port facilities. Some of its major findings are that shore power for oceangoing vessels continues to be the key driver of near-term power demand; that both SCL and the port are forecasted to exceed current electrical capacity planning limits for their infrastructure in the future; and upgrading existing electrical infrastructure is currently the most cost-effective means of addressing the constraints identified, but emerging energy technologies should continue to be monitored.
Utility distribution systems and on-terminal port infrastructure upgrades were found to be essential to support the electrification of port facilities and equipment. A total of US$208m-US$457m in port and utility investments have been identified through 2050. This includes an estimated US$69m-US$168m in utility distribution system infrastructure costs and an estimated US$139m-US$288m in port on-site transformers, switchgear and substation equipment costs.
“Installing shore power at marine terminals so that cruise and cargo ships can turn off their engines while at dock is a key part of the Port of Seattle’s commitment to becoming the greenest Port in North America,” said Fred Felleman, commissioner at the Port of Seattle.
“Our partnership with the NWSA and SCL is critical to ensuring there’s enough power to meet the increasing demand for bringing electricity to the waterfront to serve ferries, trucks, cargo handling equipment and the Coast Guard. I look forward to integrating these recommendations in collaboration with our waterfront neighbors so that we can align our capital programs to build a carbon neutral port for the future.”
“We’re very proud of our continued partnership with the Port of Seattle on the Seattle Waterfront Clean Energy Strategy,” said Dawn Lindell, general manager and CEO of SCL. “By working together, we’re making waterfront and maritime electrification a reality for Seattle’s industrious port. By taking a holistic and innovative approach, we are able to work in tandem to ensure a clean energy future for the region.”
In related news, Kitsap Transit recently announced it would receive US$1.2m to design an all-electric, zero-emission fast ferry demonstration vessel and its shoreside charging infrastructure for the Washington State Department of Commerce. Click here to read the full story.
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