South Australia’s Flinders Port Holdings have been given $70 million of investment through the federal government’s Clean Energy Finance Corporation (CEFC) scheme, in what is the first ever green financing of container stevedoring operations in Australia.
The investment will support a range of green initiatives including the installation of solar panels and the replacement of internal combustion light vehicles in an attempt to further decarbonise what is, traditionally, a hard to abate sector.
The use of an all-electric crane at the Flinders Adelaide Container Terminal at Port Adelaide will also be explored.
Australia’s domestic maritime sector emitted roughly two million tonnes of climate pollution in 2021-22 alone, and Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government Catherine King says the decarbonisation of the shipping industry is crucial to the wider sustainability of the transport sector as a whole.
“The importance of Australia’s ports cannot be understated,” King says.
“99 per cent of Australia’s international trade moves through out ports and supports 700,000 jobs across the country.
“With emissions from the transport sector expected to grow in the coming years, it is vital the government invests in decarbonising ports and the wider supply chain.”
The financing will also explore how berthed ships at the port can be connected to the grid as opposed to relying on expensive diesel bunker fuel.
The CEFC funding is the latest step in a string of initiatives targeted at decarbonising Australia’s shipping sector, and follows a recent partnership agreement with Singapore to reduce maritime emissions.
Minister for Climate Change and Energy Chris Bowen says the electrification of Flinders Port Holdings’ Port Adelaide operations is just the first step in a project aimed at the rest of Australia.
“Shipping is the backbone of the global economy but a very hard to abate sector,” Bowen says. “Electrification is a pathway to lower emissions and reduced costs.
“This is a milestone project as we take early steps towards the electrification of Australian ports, beginning in South Australia.
“This innovative partnership will enhance these ports and help support local jobs and industries.”
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