Port Authority of New South Wales

Once a ship is safely alongside at berth, some of their engines or generators continue to run - as ships require power to carry out their operations – whether for cargo unloading or to provide electricity for the ship’s crew and passengers, including for lighting, heating and cooling, refrigeration, cooking and food preparation, and communication systems.   

When ships can plug-in to renewable energy from the shore, this allows them to power down their auxiliary engines – reducing CO2 emissions, noise and air pollution. 

The supply of certified renewable energy for Shore Power at the Bays Port precinct is estimated to achieve a reduction of up to 14,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions per annum. This would be the equivalent to removing 4000 passenger vehicles off the road or planting over 70,000 trees every year. 

As well as the significant reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, the introduction of Shore Power could see a reduction in noise from cruise ships of up to 10dB. Powering down the ships’ engines which normally burn diesel fuel will also reduce local air pollution and associated odours.  

Introducing Shore Power to Bays Port precinct is one way Port Authority is helping to contribute positively to addressing climate change and reducing impacts on the local community. 

The development of this project wouldn’t be possible without the collaboration and support of our industry partners. Industry and government have engaged in a joint letter of intent, as the participation of both sectors is needed to ensure the successful transition to a lower emissions future.   

Our valued partners Cement Australia, CSL, Carnival Cruise Line, Royal Caribbean Cruise Line and MSC Cruises are committed to the future use of Shore Power in the Bays Port precinct and will be investing significantly to retrofit their vessels or scheduling their existing fleet to be ready to connect to our Shore Power facilities. Click here to see the signed Letter of Intent from all co-operating industry partners.

Port Authority plans to provide 5 Shore Power connection points within the Bays Port precinct – with 4 for bulk ships at Glebe Island and 1 for cruise ships at the White Bay Cruise Terminal. 

Please find the full Shore Power Considerations Report 2022 here.

9 November 2022:

• Port Authority of NSW has fast tracked delivery of its world-first renewable energy offset Shore Power precinct, and is now working to make two sites live, and ship-ready by the end of 2024 – with one for the cruise industry and another for dry bulk carriers.
• Conceptual design work has commenced for the high voltage supply to Bays Port precinct, to support the Shore Power system installation at White Bay Cruise Terminal Berth 5 and retrofit work at Glebe Island Bulk Berth 8 – doubling what was originally planned for Stage 1 delivery by the end of 2024.
• Part of the conduits to deliver mains power supply to the precinct area have also been secured, ready for the Stage 2 works to commence once the design stage is complete and approved by the electrical provider.