The NSW government has injected £20 million into a construction project at White Bay Cruise Terminal in Balmain in an attempt to make docked cruise ships greener.
Construction will soon commence on the landmark Shore Power project in Sydney's inner-west, which will provide cruise ships with electric chargers so engines can be switched off while docked.

The new powered ports will offer ships a landside charger, resulting in fewer emissions and less noise pollution at one of the country's busiest ports.
Shore Power is expected to reduce emissions by over 4000 tonnes every year at White Bay, leading to less noise and cleaner air for Balmain and Rozelle residents. The £20 contract was awarded to Danish company Powercon, and work is scheduled to commence by late 2024.
The majority of ships that stop at White Bay are already shore power-enabled. It will be the first of its kind in Australia. In Europe, all essential ports will have to use shoreside electricity by 2030.

NSW Transport Minister Jo Haylen stated that the project was a positive step towards making the cruise ship industry cleaner for the environment. "This will be the first major shore power infrastructure in the southern hemisphere, and the carbon emissions reduction this project at White Bay will achieve is equivalent to taking 1100 cars off Sydney's roads or planting 20,000 trees each year," she said.

Federal Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek mentioned that Balmain residents had waited "far too long" for a solution to the noise and environmental pollution from cruise ships docked in White Bay.

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