New White Paper: Shore Power Nine Times More Costly than Fuel Switching for PM

Analysts have called for incentives if shore power is prioritized as an emissions reduction strategy.

A new white paper on emissions at the world's third largest container port in China has concluded that using shore power to reduce one tonne of particulate matter (PM) is nine times more costly than fuel switching.

The International Council on Clean Transportation analysts who compiled The Cost and Benefits of Shore Power at the Port of Shenzen found that container ships at berth in the port emitted 3,400 tonnes of nitrogen dioxide (NOx), 4,200 tonnes of sulfur dioxide (SOx), 400 tonnes of PM, and 200,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO2) in 2012 - levels comparable to containership emissions at neighbouring Port of Hong Kong.

They noted that by purchasing electricity from Hong Kong to use for shore power at Shenzen in 2020, SO2 emissions will be reduced by 88 percent, NOx by 94 percent, PM by 95 percent, and CO2 by 37 percent.

However, if 80 percent of containerships calling at Shenzen in 2020 use onshore power, the cost of reducing NOx, PM, SOx, and CO2 will be about $56,000, $1.4 million, $290,000, and $2,300 respectively, according to the analysts, and these costs will escalate if fewer ships use this method of power.

They write, "Reducing one tonne of PM through onshore power, even if the market penetration is 50 percent, is still nine times the cost of fuel switching, although fuel switching does not address NOx and CO2 emissions."

Additionally, costs for shipside modifications for shore power can range from $300,000 to $2 million, depending on vessel type and size and the need for an onboard transformer.

By contrast, the analysts found that switching from 0.5 percent maximum sulfur content marine diesel oil to 0.1 percent marine gas oil reduced the cost of PM emissions reduction by 80 percent – although this strategy doesn't reduce NOx emissions.

Many Asian ports are said to be seriously considering shore power as a viable environmental option - and Shenzhen has already begun work on shore power infrastructure.

But the analysts point out that "fuel switching is generally taking precedence over onshore power because it is cheaper and technologically less challenging, and because PM emissions, for most cities in China, are the largest threat to public health."

They suggest that if policymakers prioritize shore power as the primary reduction option, "they should provide incentives to attract ships already equipped with shipside infrastructure."

Shenzen is one of the ports in the Pearl River Delta that Hong Kong government officials believe could be part of a low sulfur zone, as China takes an increasing interest in improving the country's air quality.