August 29, 2024

RICHLAND, Wash. – Washington State Department of Transportation awarded Port of Benton a $2.7 million Port Electrification Grant last week for a project to install a shore power at its north Richland barge complex on the Columbia River.

The zero-emission shore power unit will power essential functions of marine vessels and cruise ships seeking to operate at the port’s high dock, allowing their auxiliary engines to be shut off instead of idling, significantly reducing air pollution. The port plans to begin infrastructure work next summer and anticipates completing the project by fall 2025.

The port’s barge complex offers many advantages for the region’s vast industries in getting their goods to domestic and global markets. The barge complex is part of the Green Shipping Corridor along Columbia River Marine Highway 84 (M-84), which connects markets throughout the Northwest.

“We are working to do our part to reduce carbon emissions,” said Port of Benton Executive Director
Diahann Howard, PPM®, PPX. “Supporting our region’s agriculture, tourism and other industries with environmentally responsible transportation and stand-by power options are ways the port is meeting that commitment.”

Port of Benton was among 11 Washington ports to receive funding for electrification projects. The Washington state legislature created the Port Electrification Grant program in 2023, funded by Washington’s Climate Commitment Act. The program aims to reduce carbon emissions in the transportation sector, which is the largest contributor to pollution in the state.

To view the full list of the electrification grants awarded to Washington ports, visit wsdot.wa.gov/business-wsdot/grants/port-electrification-grant.

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