NEW South Wales is finally set to power up for cleaner cruise ship visits, with a $20 million contract finally awarded to begin the landmark shore power project at White Bay Cruise Terminal.
Shore power leader Powercon will begin work on the on a charger at berth 5 by the end of the year – a time frame the project was initially scheduled to be completed by, when it was first announced by the prior state government.
NSW Minister for Transport, Jo Haylen, blamed the project’s delay on the prior administration, which she claimed failed to allocate funding for it.
The project is now targeted for completion by late 2026, and is estimated to reduce emissions associated with the White Bay precinct by more than 4,000 tonnes every year.
Any shore power-enabled ship that docks at White Bay – the majority of which do have such capability – will be required to “plug in”, once the project is completed.
Carnival Corporation has already signed a letter of intent for its ships to plug in at White Bay when calling the port.
“This will be the first project of its kind in Australia, and it will be run on renewables,” Deputy Leader of the Australian Labor Party (ALP) Tanya Plibersek said.
“Awarding the contract for the shore power equipment design, fabrication, supply, and installation marks a major milestone,” she added.
The ALP’s federal and state branches have both promised shore power for White Bay for years, since before both Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Premier of NSW Chris Minns were in office
The issue was a major election promise for the ALP, with White Bay lying within Albanese’s electorate.
Chief Executive Officer of the Port Authority of NSW, Philip Holliday, added his support for the project.
“Port Authority is focused on progressing the shore power project to our revised delivery date and creating a world-class, integrated, sustainable port of the future that supports our economy, the community and the NSW Government’s vision for the area,” he added.
Also welcoming the shore power announcement was the Australian Cruise Association, which Chief Executive Officer Jill Abel described as key to signalling NSW’s commitment to the industry.
“This decision marks a significant step forward in progressing this important project that reinforces the commitment by NSW to assist the cruise sector in reaching the target of net zero emissions by 2050,” she said.
“We applaud the work being done by ports, cruise lines and our governments as they come together on these critical sustainablity initiatives and look forward to White Bay becoming a viable model for other ports around the country.”
Figures show that around 46% of the current global cruise fleet is now equipped to connect to shoreside electricity, with these figures predicted to grow to 88% by 2028.
