Data center energy demand pushes our ships and ports to pollute more

Modern data centers put considerable strain on our power grids due to the significant amount of electricity required to support intensive AI workloads. Energy resources are becoming scarcer and their scarcity leads to higher prices for consumers. This is partly why AI causes some people’s electricity bills to increase, even if they don’t use it. However, AI data centers do more than just raise utility prices: they also push other sectors to seek harmful electricity alternatives to make up the difference. One of the most dramatic recent examples comes from the world of shipping.

At Portsmouth International Port, the UK’s largest municipal port, electricity costs have forced ships to change how they are powered. Electricity expenses typically account for up to 85 percent of the port’s total cost per shore-powered vessel, according to Port Director Mike Sellers (via Safety4Sea). Shore power refers to the method of powering a ship at dock via the land-based electrical grid, but in this new era of higher grid costs, it has become more practical for ships to generate their own electricity on board.

Shipboard generators use diesel engines, and these run on petroleum-based marine fuels. These ship generators generate exhaust gases which are one of the main sources of pollutants such as sulfur oxides, nitrogen oxides and carbon dioxide. The more ports continue to use diesel engines instead of shore power, the more they will increase the risk of health problems for residents of coastal cities and cause more damage to the planet as a whole.

Shipping companies and port authorities are businesses and must therefore adopt the most cost-effective measures if they are to continue operating efficiently. That’s why they choose to use high-polluting diesel engines instead of grid electricity, and that won’t change as long as prices stay where they are. The good news is that government action could incentivize maritime organizations to use cleaner energy again. There is precedent for this type of action in countries like the United States, where a data center bill could lower energy bills.

Portsmouth International Port has already asked the UK government to remove value added tax on electricity supplied to ships via shore power systems. It is important to push for relevant policies in this new era where data centers have significantly changed the state of supply and demand. However, there is also a need to continue to innovate to find new ways to reduce emissions and improve efficiency. A major advancement in maritime batteries worth watching is a new type of electric cargo ship from China that charges with swappable battery containers.

It should be noted that the port authorities do not want to use fossil fuels. Portsmouth International Port maintains its goal of reaching net zero emissions by 2035 and being emissions-free by 2050. But these goals may prove unattainable as long as energy prices continue to rise, at least in part, due to energy demand from data centers.