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Port of San Francisco unveils Pier 27 shore power installation to plug cruise ships into Hetch Hetchy power
Summary
Port officials, Mayor Gavin Newsom and federal and regional partners announced shore-side power (cold ironing) at Pier 27, funded by a mix of city, EPA and Bay Area Air Quality Management District grants and partner contributions, that will let cruise ships plug into Hetch Hetchy hydroelectric power to reduce diesel emissions.
At a public event at Pier 27, the Port of San Francisco and city leaders on Oct. 6, 2010, announced a new shore-side power installation that allows cruise ships to plug into local electricity while docked, replacing shipboard diesel power.
Monique (Port official) introduced the project and praised partners including Mayor Gavin Newsom, EPA Region 9, the Bay Area Air Quality Management District, the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission and Princess Cruises. "Today marks a great achievement for the port," she said, thanking public and private partners for funding and technical support.
Mayor Gavin Newsom described the installation as an important environmental and economic step, noting the system sources electricity from Hetch Hetchy hydroelectric power and reduces reliance on heavy bunker diesel. He cited combined funding from the city and partner agencies and framed the project as both a green-technology and jobs initiative.
Jared Blumenfeld of EPA Region 9 said EPA grants (from the Diesel Emissions Reduction Act) supported the port installation and emphasized the public-health benefits. He cited projected reductions over the facility's lifetime that include hundreds of tons of particulate matter, roughly 100,000 tons of CO2 and significant NOx reductions. The Bay Area Air Quality Management District and the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission described their matching contributions and the operational approach: Hetch Hetchy power will be offered at a lower rate than an alternative PG&E supply and at a competitive price compared with ships running diesel while docked.
Princess Cruises and other industry partners described prior shore-power installations in Juneau, Seattle and Vancouver and said ship retrofits represent a substantial investment that many lines are already making. Port staff said the project is intended to reduce local air pollution from cruise operations and to position San Francisco as a leader among U.S. ports in shore-side electrification.
Officials invited attendees to inspect the ship connection, which they said had already been engaged during the ceremony.
Next steps include operational coordination with cruise operators and continued promotion of shore power as an option for other Bay Area ports.
(Attribution: quotes and figures above are taken from remarks by Mayor Gavin Newsom, Jared Blumenfeld, Ed Harrington and port officials at the Pier 27 event.)
