Shore power station

Following a July 17 ceremony aboard the cruise ship Dawn Princess in Juneau, Princess Tours President Charlie Ball threw a switch to symbolically begin a process which will have local residents breathing a lot easier about their environment.

Reacting to complaints from Juneau residents concerning visible smoke emissions from visiting cruise ships, AEL&P and Princess Cruises joined forces to construct a shore-side power station on the South Franklin docks. The $4.5 million power facility allows cruise ship engineers to shut down their diesel generators which power the ship while it's docked in Juneau. Engineers now connect four large power cables from the shore facility to the ship, giving passengers and crew up to 13 megawatts of clean hydroelectric power produced by AEL&P.

Corry Hildenbrand, AEL&P's Project Manager, says the project will also lighten electric bills for area residents. He says revenues generated from Princess Cruises for the use of shore power will be placed in a fund that will help offset a Cost of Power Adjustment currently paid by Juneau customers.

Currently, Princess Cruises has converted the power plants of four liners that make regular stops in Juneau, with a fifth ship expected to join the shore-power fleet for the 2002 season.

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