Port of Bellingham to Install Electrical Plugs for Vessels
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Sustainable improvements are closer to reality for the Bellingham Shipping Terminal after the Port of Bellingham received state funding to support the efforts.
The port received a $2.8 million grant from the state of Washington for the electrification of shore power at the shipping terminal.
Electrifying the Bellingham Shipping Terminal means docked ships will be able to plug into the electrical grid at the terminal rather than rely on diesel engines for power. Ships will be able to turn off onboard generators, which “significantly reduces noise levels and carbon and diesel particulate matter emissions,” according to Port of Bellingham Public Affairs Administrator Mike Hogan.
Electrification will also allow the terminal to serve as a “clean energy home base” for sustainable shipping companies, according to a release about the grant.
“There is a growing trend within the shipping industry toward large battery- and hybrid-powered vessels, which is being driven by environmental, regulatory and economic factors,” the release states. “In Puget Sound, the lack of charging infrastructure is a significant barrier toward the widespread adoption of quieter, environmentally friendly vessels.”
The electrification initiative is just one of many modernization projects underway at the Bellingham Shipping Terminal including:
- The reinforcement and strengthening of the main dock to sustain heavier cargo and equipment.
- Increasing the navigational depth at the terminal to allow for a wider range of cargo.
- The installation of a new stormwater management system to maintain water quality.
- The reconnection of a rail line to the shipping terminal to facilitate more marine shipping industries.
The Port of Bellingham is one of 11 deep-water ports across the state to receive a portion of the $26.5 million funding available through the state’s Port Electrification Grant program to help reduce carbon emissions. In total, all 11 ports plan to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions by more than 140,000 metric tons over the next 10 years.
The Bellingham Shipping Terminal electrification project is expected to be complete by 2026.
In 2016, the Center of Economic and Business Research at Western Washington University found that the port’s economic impact is felt broadly across Whatcom County, where it facilitates roughly 6,000 jobs or about 7% of the total workforce, according to previous reporting by The Bellingham Herald.
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