The Pier 66 Shore Power Project is a complex project and involves more than installing a new plug and cable. A cruise ship requires a lot of energy to power — more than the site has available now. Constrained access to electrical infrastructure on the downtown waterfront delayed progress for years until the Port team reached the innovative solution of installing a submarine cable that runs along the seafloor through the harbor to bring power to the terminal. This approach not only avoids the need to dig up busy streets on the downtown waterfront but it’s also cheaper.
This project is anticipated to be complete by the 2024 cruise season and is supported in part by nearly $3 million in grant funding from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Diesel Emissions Reduction Act, the state of Washington Department of Ecology, and the TransAlta Centralia Coal Transition Board.
