shore power?
WHAT ABOUT SHORE POWER?
Shore power is a ship-at-berth solution. It reduces harmful air emissions and GHG emissions while cruise ships are docked and plugged in. Port of Seattle estimates that plugging into shore power reduces diesel particulate emissions by 80% and CO2 emissions by 66% compared to ships running their engines.
Shore power is a complex project and includes many variables, including regulatory, technical, economic, and practical. It is subject to local conditions. It does not address air pollution while ships are transiting and maneuvering in harbour, or connecting to shore power.
Only four out of Canada’s 17 port authorities have some shore power.
Oceans North - New Analysis Benchmarks Progress on Shore Power Implementation at Canadian Ports.
A recent study on Green Shipping Corridors provides an overview of the Pacific Northwest region and key ports (Vancouver, Seattle, Prince Rupert, Juneau). The study highlights the potential for alternative fuels, the role of shore power and the necessity for harmonized frameworks to achieve a viable green corridor.
Green shipping corridors: An overview of Pacific Northwest region and key ports – ScienceDirect.
Does VICTORIA have shore power FOR CRUISE SHIPS?
No. The installation of shore power at Ogden Point has been discussed for many years.
The Greater Victoria Harbour Authority (GVHA) has actively investigated shore power at the Ogden Point Cruise Terminal for 13 years, starting with the release of an initial costing report of $14 Million in 2012. By 2019, installing shore power at Ogden Point was estimated to cost about $24.8 million.
In April 2023, the Province of British Columbia announced a $9 million contribution to the GVHA towards detailed engineering designs for shore power at Ogden Point.
In February 2025, the federal government committed $22.5 million to the GVHA to bring shore power to Ogden Point.
On October 26, 2025, GVHA announced that a feasibility study estimated the cost of installing shore power at Ogden Point would range from $92.5 million to $159 million, depending on the solution selected. Based on this study, GVHA abandoned its shore power initiative.
IS THERE AN ALTERNATIVE TO USING SHORE POWER IN VICTORIA?
Yes. The immediate interim alternative to installing shore power at Ogden Point is to mandate that cruise ships use the lowest sulphur fuel available while in Victoria Harbour.
Air pollution at Ogden Point is a health and environmental issue. Emissions of black carbon and volatile organic compounds impact local residents’ health, and GHG emissions contribute to climate change.
The cruise ship terminal in Victoria is uniquely located adjacent to the residential James Bay neighbourhood of 13,000 residents with no buffer zone between the Ogden Point cruise terminal and the local community. James Bay is an ‘at risk community’ based on proximity and demographics (EPA definition). Residents have expressed concern about the impacts of cruise ship-caused air pollution on their health for years.
Our health and environment cannot wait. We ask that cruise ships be required to switch to using the lowest sulphur fuels in Victoria Harbour NOW.
WHAT LOCAL DATA ARE AVAILABLE TO EVALUATE THE USE OF SHORE POWER FOR CRUISE SHIPS IN VICTORIA?
Cost is an important consideration, but not the only one. Shore power is a permanent infrastructure investment, available 24/7 and requiring year-round maintenance. Ogden Point in Victoria Harbour is a seasonal cruise ship terminal from April through October, with little commercial cargo traffic. For the seven months that cruise ships call at Ogden Point, there is a limit to the time shore power might be utilized.
81% of cruise calls to Victoria originate in Seattle; according to the Port of Seattle, it takes three hours for a cruise ship to connect/disconnect to and from shore power, so they deduct 3 hours from at-berth times to calculate GHG emissions. For Victoria in 2025, cruise ships berthed at Ogden Point for an estimated 2,160 hours. If every ship could hook up, the maximum amount of time that cruise ships could utilize shore power for the entire season is estimated to be 1,025 hours.
Based on 2025 scheduling, the actual usage time would be lower due to overlapping schedules that prevent hookup access, incompatibilities with equipment because shore power installation is not standard on all ships, and ships that are not shore power equipped. In 2025 the majority of cruise ships at Ogden Point arrived after 7 pm and departed around midnight, further impacting actual shore power usage time. It is estimated that 47% of total ship calls would utilize shore power for less than 2 hours.
A successful local at berth solution would have to include ship capability and compatibility, port mandates for the cruise industry to use and/or pay for the infrastructure, and scheduling to maximize access/hook up.
WHAT ABOUT ELECTRICITY?
The existing electricity supply at Ogden Point is not sufficient for shore power. Cruise ships have to keep their engines running at dock to maintain existing services.
A Maritime Impact report quoted in Capital Daily shows traditional cruise ships require 10-100 megawatts of power for propulsion, lighting, air conditioning and on-board amenities. To put that in perspective, a single megawatt can power between 400 and 900 homes. The power used by the hotel facilities on cruise ships represents 47% of their electricity requirements. Victoria's cruise port aims for shore power integration amid fiscal uncertainty - Capital Daily
GVHA reports that even the cheapest solution would require extensive infrastructure work to bring sufficient electricity to Ogden Point, as each cruise ship requires the same amount of power as the James Bay neighbourhood. This work would include a 7.5km power line from downtown and 2.5km of ductwork through James Bay.
Shore power is a major electrical load. Our electrical supply is limited, and priority should be given to local demand. There may also be financial risks if the ships do not arrive and pay for the use of electricity (as happened to some ports during Covid) or switch to a different port-of-call.
If shore power were ever to be implemented in Victoria, all costs for services should be borne by cruise corporations who benefit the most from using Victoria as a port-of-call. Local economic cruise tourism benefits are limited, and our residents and environment suffer the negative impacts.
Who should pay for shore power, if implemented in the future?
Fair Sailing advocates for cruise industry-funded installation (no use of taxpayer money) Based on the Polluter Pay principle, the cruise industry should pay for the installation and maintenance of shore power in Victoria with mandatory use or infrastructure contribution fees by all ships, as data from other ports show that many ships do not connect to shore power, even when it is available.
Most ports that have received provincial or federal shore power funding provide essential trade and cargo services. Odgen Point does not. It is essentially a cruise ship terminal.
A fee of $30 for 1 million cruise passengers a year could raise $30 million a year to pay for shore power installation.
Is shore power the solution for all negative cruise impacts?
Shore power is a ships-at-berth solution only. It reduces harmful air emissions and GHGs while cruise ships are docked which is of benefit to our health and environment. However, shore power does not address air and ocean pollution while ships are transiting and maneuvering in our harbour (and beyond). It does not address other negative impacts of cruise tourism on James Bay, which include overcrowding, traffic surges, noise, and the import of foreign solid and liquid wastes.