The city of Portland is exploring ways to reduce the carbon emissions of large cruise ships while docked in port.
The city asked Central Maine Power to study the feasibility of creating a transmission system that would allow three cruise ships to get power off the grid and shut down their engines.
CMP’S Meg Sullivan told members of Portland’s Sustainability and Transportation Committee on Wednesday that its existing transmission system could not accommodate the required 25 megawatts of power. But she said the company is finalizing a grid upgrade that could handle shore power and increasing demand in the area.
“We are creating our solutions for the Portland area that would accommodate the 25 megawatts of shore power plus some of the additional electrification and growth that we are expecting in the area,” Sullivan said.
That project would take 10 or more years to complete at a cost to the city of $60 million, according to Sullivan. CMP, she said, would incur at least $500 million for the buildout.
Expediting a second option that would include a new substation and transmission line would cost $346 million and take more than seven years to complete.
This article appears through a media partnership with Maine Public.
