Government of Canada navigation bar

Symbol of the Government of Canada

Primary site navigation bar

Shore Power Project

Port Metro Vancouver Shore Power Project

Project Objective: Improve air quality around Port Metro Vancouver (PMV) by reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) and criteria air contaminant (CAC) emissions resulting from cruise ships idling at the Canada Place Terminal.

Organizations: Vancouver Fraser Port Authority (VFPA) in cooperation with Transport Canada, Western Economic Diversification Canada, the Province of British Columbia, Holland America Line (HAL), Princess Cruises (Princess), and BC Hydro.

Project Timeline: February 2009 to March 2011.

Project Results: From April 2010 to October 2010, 44 connections were made at the Canada Place Terminal at PMV. These 44 connections, for a total of 268 hours provided 2,024 MWh of electricity in lieu of 476 tonnes of fuel, leading to a reduction of 1,521 tonnes of GHG emissions and significant amounts of CAC resulting from ship idling.

Project Description

With funding from Transport Canada’s Marine Shore Power Program, PMV Shore Power Project was implemented to reduce air emissions from cruise ships. The technology allows cruise ships to shut down their diesel engines while docked and use clean hydroelectricity to power onboard services instead. The major benefits include reducing fuel costs, significantly improving local air quality (GHG and CAC emission reductions), and reducing noise. These reductions in air emissions will contribute towards meeting British Columbia’s1 and Canada’s2 GHG reduction targets for the year 2020.

PMV is Canada’s first shore power enabled port, and at the time of building, third in the world.

Methodology

After the completion of construction, data related to ship connection time to shore power was collected and analyzed to measure fuel consumption reductions. These fuel consumption reductions are responsible for GHG and CAC emission reductions which were calculated using Environment Canada’s most recent conversion factors for the marine sector. Other benefits examined include the average cost of fuel vs. the cost of electricity to determine expected savings for ships employing shore power.

Performance Results

Due to circumstances that could not be predicted during project planning, a reduction in cruise business in 2010 resulted in a loss of 79 ship calls in Vancouver. This loss meant that in the first year of shore power operations, the results were much lower than anticipated. Tables 1 and 2 summarize the ship calls and connection results for the 2010 season (April to October).

 Table 1 - April 2010 to October 2010 Ship Calls to Canada Place Terminal
Total Number of Visits No. of Shore Power equipped Visits Berthed Time
177 58 629.5 hours
 Table 2 - April 2010 to October 2010 Completed Connections to Shore Power
No. of Completed Connections Connected time (hrs) Electrical Consumption (MWh) Fuel Savings (tonnes) CO2 Equivalent Reduction (tonnes)
44 267.7 2,024.1 475.6 1,521

As shown above, 177 ships visited PMV’s Canada Place Terminal between April 2010 and October 2010 for a total docked time of 630 hours. Of the 177 ships that called, 58 were equipped with shore power capabilities. However, scheduling and other considerations led to 44 successful connections for a total of 268 hours which reduced GHG emissions by 1,521 tonnes. On average a ship is connected to shore power for 6 hours and reduces its consumption of fuel by 10.7 tonnes per visit (or 1.78 tons per hour).

Financial Results

The final cost of the project was $9.04 million, slightly over the initial $9 million budget estimate. Based on costs at the time of measurement, cruise ships save an average of $234 and 1.78 tonnes of fuel each hour that their engine is shut off when at dock.

Conclusion

In the first season of shore power operation, the Canada Place Shore Power Project generated a fuel savings of 475.6 tonnes, a CO2 equivalent reduction of 1,521 tonnes, and a significant reduction in air pollution emissions. The results were lower than anticipated due to the downturn in the US economy and a reduction in cruise business in 2010. However, the benefits are expected to grow over time as more ships are equipped with shore power technology, and as cruise business increases again.

Marine Shore power has proven to be reliable and effective at reducing large scale emissions. Despite the high capital costs for the equipment, cruise lines realize a moderate cost savings every time they plug in. Shore power has the added benefit of eliminating emissions at the Canada Place Terminal, which is located in the heart of downtown Vancouver.  

A successful shore power project requires willing partners, including the port, utilities companies, and government agencies. The major challenges faced were developing and approving an affordable interruptible electricity rate, and agreement on the jurisdiction of the work of connecting and disconnecting the vessels to the shore power equipment.

1. British Columbia’s provincial GHG reduction target is a 33% reduction of 2007 levels by the year 2020.

2. Canada’s GHG reduction target is a 17% reduction of 2005 levels by the year 2020.

Date modified:
2012-03-14