The Port of Galveston in the US Gulf is studying the potential benefits of installing shore power facilities for vessels calling there.
The port authority is conducting a cost-benefit analysis of the technology in conjunction with Texas A&M University, it said in a statement on its website last week. The study will examine the cost of the infrastructure, estimated demand over a five to ten-year period and how the project could be financed.
Separately the port is working with cruise line Royal Caribbean on a feasibility study over providing shore power facilities at its new cruise terminal, due to open next year.
Shore power facilities allow ships visiting a port to connect to the land-based power grid rather than continuing to burn bunker fuel. If the electricity supplied comes from renewable capacity, this cuts overall emissions for a voyage.
