Harper government invests in Canadian ports

VANCOUVER, Jan. 25, 2012 /CNW/ - The Honourable Denis Lebel, Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities, and Wai Young, Member of Parliament for Vancouver South, today announced that the Government of Canada is continuing its commitment to limit air emissions from the Canadian transportation sector.

"The Government of Canada is pleased to launch the Shore Power Technology for Ports Program," said Minister Lebel. "This $27.2-million contribution program will help Canadian ports install shore power, which will reduce air emissions from ships, protect the environment and health of Canadians, and further Canada's economic prosperity."

Shore power technology for ports, also called marine shore power or cold-ironing, is a leading-edge technology that allows ships to turn off their diesel engines while docked and connect to an electrical power supply at the port facility. This technology will improve local air quality by reducing air pollution from ships in some of Canada's largest urban centres and will also contribute to ports' competitiveness.

"As we have seen with the success of shore power for cruise ships at Port Metro Vancouver, this program will also help Canada's tourism sector to take advantage of growth opportunities, increase tourism revenues and create jobs in all regions of Canada," said MP Young.

The Shore Power Technology for Ports Program builds on Transport Canada's successful Marine Shore Power Program that was introduced in 2007 and concludes in March 2012. This demonstration program provided $2 million to Port Metro Vancouver to install shore power technology for cruise ships and $1.8 million to the Port of Prince Rupert to support the installation of shore power for container ships.

Following consultations with port authorities and terminal operators in winter 2012, a call for proposals will be issued this spring. Canadian Port Authorities and private entities engaged in operating and/or that own marine ports and terminals in Canada will be eligible for funding.

Funding for the Shore Power Technology for Ports Program was provided in Budget 2011 as part of the renewal of the Government of Canada's Clean Air Agenda.

The Clean Transportation Initiatives will focus on aligning Canadian regulations with those in the United States and with international standards, improving the efficiency of the transportation system and on advancing green technologies. These initiatives will help Canada achieve its economy-wide target of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 17 per cent from 2005 levels by 2020.

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Shore Power Technology for Ports Program

The Shore Power Technology for Ports Program (SPTP) will provide up to $27.2 million in cost-shared contribution funding between April 1, 2013, and December 31, 2015, to support the deployment of marine shore power technology. The Government of Canada aims to fund multiple projects of varying scope across Canada under this program.

Canadian ports are facing barriers to the adoption of marine shore power because of the initial capital cost of these installations for port and terminal operators, and the complexity of contractual arrangements governing access to city electrical grids and power lines. Additionally, the benefits of shore power are shared among many stakeholders, making the business case for investment by a port challenging. Experience with previous initiatives has shown that these complex and innovative projects will benefit from the SPTP.

By providing ship operators with an alternative to running diesel auxiliary engines, shore power technology represents an additional option for reducing fuel consumption and fuel costs, and improving the competitiveness of Canadian ports.

The SPTP builds on Transport Canada's Marine Shore Power Program (MSPP) that was introduced in 2007 and concludes in March 2012. Under the MSPP, Port Metro Vancouver received $2 million from Transport Canada to successfully implement shore power for cruise ships and the Port Authority of Prince Rupert is receiving up to $1.8 million from Transport Canada for the installation of shore power facilities for container ships by March 2012. The previous program clearly demonstrated that marine shore power can be successfully implemented in Canada and led to the creation of the SPTP.

Results from the Port Metro Vancouver project are available on the SPTP website. Results from the Prince Rupert Port Authority project will be shared in a similar fashion once available.

For more information on the SPTP, please refer to Transport Canada's website at www.tc.gc.ca/sptp.

For further information:

Pierre Floréa Press Secretary Office of the Honourable Denis Lebel  Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities, Ottawa 613-991-0700

Media Relations Transport Canada, Ottawa 613-993-0055