Shore power for two more cruise docks will cost $111M, new estimate says, up from $54M in 2024

Latest assessment and early-stage design work scheduled to be presented to CBJ Docks and Harbors Board on Thursday

Juneau’s lone cruise ship dock with shore power on Monday, Sept. 14, 2026. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Independent)

By Pat Forgey

For the Juneau Independent

It will cost $111 million to electrify two city-owned cruise ship docks downtown, according to an early-stage cost estimate being presented this week to city officials.

That amount is significantly higher than had been widely, but informally, discussed in recent years, said Carl Uchytil, Juneau’s port director. Previous estimates include $25 million in 2021 and $54 million in 2024.

A multitude of other recent local projects have seen their price tags soar — sometimes resulting in their downsizing or cancellation — such as Huna Totem’s proposed private cruise dock, a gondola at Eaglecrest Ski Area, an upgrade at the Fred Meyer intersection and the proposed Cascade Point Ferry Terminal.

The city’s Docks and Harbors Board will review the most recent estimate for shore power at the Alaska Steamship Dock and Cruise Ship Terminal Dock during its meeting at 5 p.m. Thursday. The meeting has been moved to the Assembly Chambers due to the possibility of wide public interest, he said.

The initial cost assessment work was done on behalf of Docks and Harbors, along with Alaska Electric Light and Power. Uchytil said the engineering design work paused at the typical 35% stage, giving time for further review and decision-making.

H3 Engineering Solutions, which conducted the assessment, and others involved in the project will be at the meeting to present their work, and provide further information on how the early cost estimates were developed and the scope of the project.

Juneau was hailed as a pioneer 25 years ago at the Franklin Dock, the first and still only local dock to provide shore power for cruise ships. Efforts in the years since have been stalled by a number of factors including high costs.

Switching from existing shipboard power generation with diesel engines to more efficient and cleaner shore power has been a stated goal of cruise industry stakeholders around the world in recent years.

Advocates for more docks with shore power in Juneau say AEL&P's renewable hydroelectric power to the ships will reduce their fuel costs and emissions while in port. The idea of additional shore power in Juneau has been endorsed by the Sustainability Commission and Assembly, but without firm cost estimates to work with.

• Pat Forgey is a longtime Alaska journalist who has written for the Juneau Empire and Anchorage Daily News. He can be contacted via editor@juneauindependent.com.