Port of San Diego Awards Shore Power Installation Contract for B Street Cruise Ship Terminal

The Port of San Diego is advancing its commitment to environmental sustainability by adding an additional shore power outlet to help add flexibility for vessels connecting to shore power while at berth and not limiting them based on the side of the ship the connection is on. Shore power capabilities allow cruise ships to plug in to the electrical grid to power their ships rather than diesel engines while at berth. At its September 10, 2024 Board of Port Commissioners meeting, the Board awarded a construction contract for the new shore power outlet to Universal Wiring Corp in the amount of $463,500. This new outlet will help further improve air quality and reduce greenhouse gas emissions on and around San Diego Bay by allowing more cruise ships to easily connect to shore power.

"The Port of San Diego continues to put in action the work we committed to doing when we adopted the Maritime Clean Air Strategy in October 2021," said Chairman Frank Urtasun, Port of San Diego Board of Port Commissioners. "The cruise industry injects hundreds of millions of dollars into our local economy and we will continue to modernize its operations as the technology becomes available in a responsible environmental fashion."

This latest investment in shore power:

• Helps meet one of several goals in the Port's Maritime Clean Air Strategy (MCAS) by significantly reducing pollutants, such as nitrogen oxide (NOx) and diesel particulate matter (DPM), as well as greenhouse gas emissions (Oceangoing Vessel Objective 2A).
• Supports the Port's goal of a healthy and sustainable bay.
• Advances the Port's commitment to the California Air Resources Board At-Berth Regulation.

This latest addition of shore power at the B Street Cruise Terminal will help resolve issues that arise when ships need to connect to power at specific locations. With this improvement, the Port can provide more flexibility to a wide variety of vessels that have either port- or starboard-side shore power connection points. Construction is anticipated to begin in October with installation completed in early 2025.

The Port installed its first shore power connection at the cruise terminals in 2010, making it among the first ports in California to have shore power available for cruise ships as well as being well ahead of a state regulation requiring reduction of diesel particulate emissions from at least 50 percent of cruise calls by nearly four years. A second shore power plug was installed in 2022 allowing for two ships to simultaneously use shore power. The new outlet will increase the ability to have two ships connect to shore power, regardless of the connection point location on each vessel. The Port's investment in adding shore power at its cruise and cargo terminals totals approximately $29.5 million in infrastructure projects to date.