NSW will be home to the world’s first 100% renewable energy shore-powered shipping precinct, at the Bays Port in the heart of Sydney.
NSW Minister for Transport David Elliott said Bays Port, which includes Glebe Island and White Bay, will be the first bulk shipping precinct fully supplied by shore power. The White Bay Cruise Terminal will also be the first shore powered cruise berth in the Southern Hemisphere.
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“Our Government is creating the ports of the future and in doing so transforming the communities in which they continue to operate,” Minister Elliott said.
“The first berth is set to come online in 2024, and will allow shore power capable ships to cut their diesel generators, and thereby reducing emissions, air pollution and noise levels whilst at port.
“Shore power is cleaner and quieter, minimising the impact of ships on neighbouring areas and ensuring our last remaining deepwater harbour berths continue to operate sustainably into the future,” Elliott said.
In the Bays Port area alone, renewable shore power will remove up to 14,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide from entering the atmosphere over 12 months, the equivalent of taking over 4,000 cars off our roads every year.
The Port Authority of NSW CEO, Captain Philip Holliday, announced the net zero and shore power plan with the support of bulk shipping and cruise industry leaders, including Carnival Cruise Lines, MSC Cruises and Royal Caribbean Group.
Holliday said that while a range of initiatives to achieve net zero are being undertaken “but by far the most important one of those is shore power”.
“This is an historic partnership with the Port Authority of NSW investing over $60 million to deliver this infrastructure as the first step, with port users already pledging to retrofit and build ships to take advantage of this technology,” Captain Holliday said.
“Delivering Shore Power will drive us even further than our already ambitious NSW net zero targets, of a 75 per cent emissions reduction by 2030 and be net zero by 2040.”
Gavin Smith, VP and Managing Director, Royal Caribbean Cruises, said: “We’re just really excited that here in Sydney to deliver shore power will be a great asset and a great investment for those people surrounding the world’s greatest harbour.”