The Australian Government is leading efforts to decarbonise South Australia’s ports through a comprehensive electrification initiative.
With a $70 million investment through the Clean Energy Finance Corporation (CEFC) into Flinders Port Holdings (FPH), this initiative marks the first green financing of container stevedoring operations in the country, targeting both emission reduction and cost savings.
According to the Federal Government, the shipping industry remains one of the most challenging sectors to decarbonise.
In the 2021–22 period, Australia’s domestic maritime sector produced approximately 2 million tonnes of carbon emissions.
However, this new financing aims to change that by supporting a suite of green initiatives at FPH’s ports across South Australia.
Minister for Climate Change and Energy, Chris Bowen said shipping is the backbone of the global economy but a very hard to abate sector.
“Electrification is a pathway to lower emissions and reduced costs,” he said.
“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.”
Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government, Catherine King said the Government is committed to ensuring that Australia has a productive, resilient and decarbonised supply chain.
“The importance of Australia’s ports cannot be understated with 99 per cent of Australia’s international trade moving through our ports, supporting 700,000 jobs across the country,” she said.
“With emissions from the transport sector expected to grow in the coming years, it is vital that the government invests in decarbonising ports and the wider supply chain.”
Included in the plans are the installation of solar systems and the replacement of internal combustion engine vehicles with electric vehicles (EVs).
The funding will also explore deploying an all-electric crane at the Flinders Adelaide Container Terminal—a first in Australia—and connecting berthed ships to the power grid to reduce reliance on costly diesel bunker fuel.
This investment is part of broader efforts to curb emissions in the maritime industry. Australia recently teamed up with Singapore in a $20 million project to cut maritime emissions and signed a global pledge in 2022 to promote cleaner shipping practices.
For more renewable and solar news, subscribe to ecogeneration.