Waterfront electrification: Port of Seattle unpacks new clean energy vision

The Port of Seattle has unveiled a new clean energy strategy aimed at gauging the power infrastructure investments and initiatives needed to support the electrification of vessels, equipment, buildings and vehicles owned by the port.

As disclosed, the Seattle Waterfront Clean Energy Strategy (SWCES) was developed together with the Northwest Seaport Alliance (NWSA) and Seattle City Light (SCL). It was reportedly created to provide technical, policy and planning recommendations for how the port (and its partners) should construct the necessary infrastructure to support a zero-emission maritime transition by 2050.

The plan is described as “particularly significant” right now, given that the estimates are that the port’s operations at peak times could increase fourfold by 2050, meaning clean energy infrastructure could be ‘essential’ for the Port of Seattle to meet its sustainability targets.

As informed, some ‘major’ findings that SWCES unearthed are:

• Shore power for oceangoing vessels is, as of yet, the ‘key’ driver of near-term power demand;
• Both Seattle City Light and the port are anticipated to exceed the present electrical capacity planning limits;
• The most ‘cost-effective’ means of addressing the constraints is upgrading the existing electrical infrastructure, though the port has called for an “active monitoring” of emerging energy technologies.

“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,” Port of Seattle Commissioner Fred Felleman highlighted.

“Our partnership with The Northwest Seaport Alliance and Seattle City Light is critical to ensuring there’s enough power to meet the increasing demand for bringing electricity to the waterfront,” he added.

The port’s representatives have underscored further that utility distribution systems and on-terminal infrastructure upgrades are vital to support electrification endeavors. To this end, it is understood that a total of $208-457 million in port and utility investments have been identified through 2050.

This comprises an estimated $69-168 million in utility distribution system infrastructure costs and between $139 million and $288 million in port on-site transformers, switchgear, and substation equipment costs.

The Port of Seattle is the first in the United States to independently mandate that 100% of all cruise vessels homeported in Seattle be shore power capable and utilize shore power. The directive, passed by the port’s commission in June 2024, is set to take effect beginning with the 2027 cruise season.

At the end of October last year, the port wrapped up its shore power project at Pier 66. This was done as part of the Northwest Ports Clean Air Strategy, which is intended to electrify all Seattle cruise berths.

• Washington ports receive state funding for electrification projects
• Sustainable Maritime Fuels Collaborative launched to drive maritime transition in Pacific Northwest