Port of Oakland shore power use at 94 percent in H1 2024

Cleaner air with more container ships plugging into electric grid

The Port of Oakland established a new record for shore power usage in the first six months of 2024. The rate of ships plugged into the Oakland Seaport electric grid averaged 94% the first half of the year. By comparison, the shore power plug-in rate for all of 2023 was 85%. Thanks to increased ship plug-ins at Oakland, the air is cleaner.

“Shore power is the single most effective way to reduce vessel emissions when a ship is in port,” said Port of Oakland Environmental Programs and Planning Director Colleen Liang. “We appreciate the ship owners retrofitting their vessels for shore power. We also thank the terminal operators for coordinating and providing labor to physically plug in the ships that call Oakland.”

Shore power is when a ship docks and plugs into an electric grid at the wharf. This allows the ship to turn off its diesel engines, resulting in near-zero vessel emissions while at berth.

In May, the Port achieved a record 99% ship plug-in rate. Shore power usage has been above 91% since November of 2023. The Port continually maintains and improves its shore power system, so it is ready to deliver power when ships call.

The Oakland Board of Port Commissioners has been a key leader in the work requiring shore power usage. This holds true even for vessels not required to plug in by a regulatory agency. These efforts have delivered significant local air quality benefits.

The Port of Oakland continues to invest in shore power improvements. The Port plans to install mobile shore power outlets in the future. It would be the first port in the nation to do so. This new technology will allow vessels greater flexibility to plug in at dock. Sometimes ships cannot easily align with the existing stationary plugs to make the connection. Mobile shore power is another example of how the Port serves as a technology innovator in cutting emissions from maritime operations.