Portsmouth port's electric charging system gets funding go-ahead

The shore power systems at Portsmouth International Port will allow ships to use the port's power

A system to allow docked ships to plug into the National Grid is set to go ahead after receiving council funding.

The Sea Change project, planned for Portsmouth International Port, is aimed at reducing air pollution from ships' idling engines.

Portsmouth City Council has agreed funding of £3m. It has also received an £18.5m government grant.

The port is aiming to be the first in the UK to be net carbon-neutral by 2030.

The city council, which owns the port, said the shore power system could save the equivalent of 20,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions a year and improve air quality.

'Fantastic achievement'

The new system will also charge two hybrid/liquefied natural gas vessels, supplied by Brittany Ferries, that will use electric power to enter and leave the harbour.

Councillor Gerald Vernon-Jackson, whose cabinet role includes responsibility for the port, said: "I think this is a really good example of long-term ambition - we're going to have a project which is going to take us to having the first carbon-neutral port in the whole country."

Funding for the project has come from an £18.5m award from the government's Zero Emissions Vessels and Infrastructure competition, along with £4.6m in borrowing and the £3m from council reserves.

Councillor Judith Smyth said the agreement - backed by all parties - was a "fantastic achievement".

"It should reduce the poor air quality that's over the poorest parts of our city, we can be more confident that people living in the middle part of Portsmouth, which is very densely occupied with families, will have cleaner air in the future," she said.