Shore power usage turns Yangtze greener

WUHAN — The picturesque Yangtze River Cruise tourist route, as well as the cargo shipping operation along the Yichang section of the river, are both becoming greener thanks to the surging usage of shore power in Yichang, Hubei province.

At Yichang's Zigui Port, which is flanked by undulating mountains on both sides, an electrician on the cruise ship Century Mythology is connecting the vessel to a power station on the shore.

"Previously while docking, we powered the vessel with diesel engines, which created not only loud noise but also a great deal of gas emissions. Also, one person must be on watch, lest the generator trips," said electrician Xu Ou. "Many docks were plagued by gushing black smoke and buzzing engines."

According to Xu, the shift to shore power with stable voltage has made his job easier and travelers' boarding experiences happier. Yichang — home to the Three Gorges Project and the Gezhouba Project, both hydropower projects — is situated at a strategic position on the Yangtze, which is also an ecologically sensitive area.

A large volume of vessels also berth there to pass through the ship locks. Nearly 500 such vessels are recorded daily along the section between the Three Gorges Dam and the Gezhouba Dam, according to Wang Ming, chief engineer of the transportation authorities of Yichang.

Since 2015, Yichang has been active in constructing shore power facilities. To date, 168 sets of shore power facilities with a capacity of 27,000 kilovolt-amperes have been installed, covering 67 docks on the Yichang section of the Yangtze.

As of the end of July this year, shore power of 29.39 million kilowatt-hours had been provided to ships passing through the city, on par with the power provided by 6,900 metric tons of fuel, which resulted in the reduction of hazardous gas emissions by 21,000 tons.

As Three Gorges tourism gains traction this year, the use of shore electricity continues to rise.

During the first seven months of this year, shore power of 6.27 million kWh had been transmitted to vessels that made a total of 7,387 trips. Shore power usage in July broke the monthly record and reached 1.78 million kWh, a year-on-year surge of 49.1 percent, according to Li Xingheng, a shore power maintenance worker with the State Grid Yichang Power Supply Company.

Shore power has been adopted by all cruise ships that berth in Yichang, while the usage of shore power at cargo wharves increased by 83,000 kWh in the past year, Li added.

Meanwhile, it does not require much persuasion to achieve this rise in use.

"People used to need persuasion, but now they voluntarily apply for shore power usage, signaling a boom in demand," Li said.

Lyu Biyun, captain of cruise ship Athena, said the benefits of shore power are tangible. His ship usually arrives at the Zigui Port at 1 am and departs for Fengdu in Chongqing at 9 pm.

Shore power used in this time slot saves him about 7,000 yuan ($975) compared with the cost of diesel fuel used previously, he said.

More importantly, the use of shore power reduces pollution in the Yangtze River, Lyu said.