Washington ports to receive electrification grants

The Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) has allocated $26.5 million in capital improvement grants under the Port Electrification Program. This competitive grant initiative, funded through Washington’s Climate Commitment Act (CCA), is aimed at assisting public port districts in reducing greenhouse gas emissions through electrification projects.

The Port Electrification Program is designed to support a variety of projects across the state, with grants available to both smaller-scale efforts and components of larger projects. According to WSDOT, the funding will help complete these initiatives, which are part of Washington’s broader climate action efforts under the CCA. The CCA allocates cap-and-invest funds to projects that focus on reducing climate pollution, creating jobs, and improving public health.

For the 2023-2025 biennium, the Washington State Legislature allocated $26.5 million from the state’s Carbon Emissions Reductions Account to fund the Port Electrification Program. In August 2024, eleven port projects were selected for funding based on a competitive review process. These projects aim to reduce more than 140,000 metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions over the next decade. 

The grants awarded focus on two primary activities: constructing shore power systems and enhancing electric vehicle infrastructure at ports. The following are some of the recipients:

• Northwest Seaport Alliance ($2.6 million for shore power planning).
• Port of Anacortes ($1.03 million for shore power and zero emission equipment).
• Port of Bellingham ($2.8 million for shore power).
• Port of Benton ($ 2.7 million for shore power).
• Port of Edmonds ($1.5 million for shore power). 
• Port of Everett ($4.3 million for shore power, electric trucks and cleaner generators).
• Port of Friday Harbor ($7 million for shore power and electric trucks. The port issued a press release to further define where the money would be allocated).
• Port of Kalama ($1.4 million for an electric boat dock).
• Port of Port Angeles ($525,408 for shore power and electric cargo equipment).
• Port of Ridgefield ($1.2 million for electric vehicle chargers).
• Port of Seattle ($1 million for shore power).

In addition to the competitive grants, the Washington State Legislature also provided direct funding for several port electrification projects in the 2023-2025 state transportation budget. These include:

• Northwest Seaport Alliance - $6.3 million to fund a zero-emission drayage truck demonstration project
• Northwest Seaport Alliance - $28 million to fund a zero-emission shore power infrastructure project
• Port of Bremerton - $2 million for port electrification
• Port of Anacortes – $2 million for port electrification
• Puyallup Tribe port properties - $20 million for port electrification
• Tacoma Rail - $5 million to fund the replacement of two diesel-electric switcher locomotives with zero emission battery-electric switcher locomotives and to install on-site charging equipment 

WSDOT worked with the Washington Public Ports Association to inform port districts about the grant program and encouraged them to engage with local communities during project development. The scoring criteria for the grants considered whether projects provided benefits to vulnerable populations and whether they were supported by tribal resolutions, in line with the CCA’s investment goals.

The projects funded through these grants are expected to provide a range of benefits, including enhanced environmental protection, economic development opportunities, and job preservation or creation. According to WSDOT, these efforts are part of the state’s broader strategy to meet climate action goals and support sustainable growth in the maritime industry.