By
Rebecca Gibson |
Located in Broward County in South Florida, USA, Port Everglades is consistently ranked among the top three busiest cruise homeports in the world and welcomes a diverse range of ships at its eight cruise terminals every year.
The cruise lines calling at Port Everglades join the port in its commitment to reduce greenhouse gas emissions while engines are operating in port.
To reduce emissions and align with Broward County’s climate change goals, Port Everglades is in the planning phase to install shore power infrastructure at all eight terminals so ships can turn off their engines and connect to the power grid instead.
In January 2023, Port Everglades completed a comprehensive study to analyse the capacity of the existing electrical grid and identify the necessary infrastructure upgrades required to deliver shore power to the diverse cruise ships calling at its cruise terminals. The study was performed by Moffatt & Nichol, a global infrastructure advisory firm working in cooperation with Florida Power & Light (FPL), Carnival Corporation, Disney Cruise Line, and Royal Caribbean Group.
The recommended plan will deliver up to 16 megawatts of electricity simultaneously to ships at all eight terminals in accordance with International Electrotechnical Commission/Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers 80005 standards. The electricity will be generated by FPL using various energy sources, including natural gas, nuclear, solar and wind.
Estimates suggest that once fully implemented, shore power could eliminate 11,366 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions and reduce nitrogen oxide and sulphur dioxide emissions by 75 per cent and 51 per cent, respectively. This is equivalent to taking 2,470 cars off the road each year.
According to the study, the total cost of the project will be $160 million, with approximately $20 million being allocated to each terminal. This figure includes the costs to upgrade and install FPL’s facilities. The project is expected to be financed through federal and state grant funds, contributions from the participating cruise lines, and Broward County. In addition, the revenues generated from the shore power systems will help to offset costs.
Port Everglades anticipates initial implementation could begin as early as 2026.
This article was first published in the Spring/Summer 2023 issue of Cruise & Ferry Review. All information was correct at the time of printing, but may since have changed. Subscribe to Cruise & Ferry Review for FREE here to get the next issue delivered directly to your inbox or your door.