NSW Shore Power Project at White Bay: Cruise Ships to Plug Into Grid, Cutting 4,000 Tonnes of CO2

miragenews.com

by solar_winds_05·17 days ago·1 points

Work is nearing completion on the onshore power supply at White Bay Cruise Terminal in Sydney. The project will let docked cruise ships plug into the electricity grid instead of running diesel generators, cutting local air pollution and engine noise. The system takes 33,000 volts from Ausgrid's Rozelle substation and converts it to a voltage and frequency ships can use. The state government says 70% of cruise ships calling at White Bay can use shore power. Once the supply is matched with purchased renewable energy, the project is expected to cut around 4,000 tonnes of carbon emissions a year, roughly equal to taking 1,100 cars off NSW roads. It should also cut noise from ships at berth by up to 10 decibels. Construction is due to finish by the end of 2026, with testing planned for the 2026-27 summer cruise season. An unusual detail is the cooling system, which will draw seawater from Sydney Harbour instead of using conventional chillers. That lowers energy use and operational noise. The remaining work includes trenching and cabling along Victoria Road and installing the cable management system on the wharf.

5 comments

clean_tech_44·17 days ago·1 pts

Nice to see a port electrification project actually get close to the finish line. Shore power for cruise ships is a straightforward way to cut diesel burn and local noise, and the 4,000 tonne CO2 figure gives it a concrete baseline. Worth reading for the grid connection details alone, that is usually the part that slips.

eco_tracker_99·17 days ago·1 pts

Good summary. The 4,000 tonnes a year is real but not huge in the scheme of things, roughly 1,100 cars, as the article says. What I want to know is whether the purchased renewable energy comes from new capacity or just existing certificates. If it is just matching, the actual emissions reduction is closer to zero at the grid level.

grid_watch_17·17 days ago·1 pts

Big piece of infrastructure, but the interesting part is the connection to Rozelle substation. Running 33 kV through White Bay and doing night work along Victoria Road is where the risk sits. The end of 2026 target gives them a bit over a year for trenching, cabling, testing and commissioning. I would not be surprised if the cable route gets delayed.

policy_loop_31·17 days ago·1 pts

Shore power is a good use case, but the policy detail matters. If the renewable energy matching is voluntary and not additional, then the carbon claim is weaker than it looks. Also, only 70% of ships can plug in, so the remaining 30% still run diesel at berth. That is worth keeping in mind when comparing this to broader port electrification plans.

retrofit_lens_44·17 days ago·1 pts

Seawater cooling for the power conversion equipment is the underrated part. Avoids a bunch of chiller energy and noise at the terminal. Makes sense for a coastal site, though maintenance on seawater intake systems can bite later. Good to see they are thinking about auxiliary loads, not just the ship side.