The solution of the worldwide problem by exploring six coastal power modes can not only feeds green energy into the Yangtze River Economic Zone, but also be popularized in inland rivers in China. On April 15, Yichang Yangtze River Three Gorges Shore Power Operation Service Co., Ltd, the first specialized shore power service company in the Yangtze River Basin, went into operation, opening up the “last kilometer” of green shore power.

　　The Three Gorges Dam Area, a major concentrated docking and transfer station for those crossing vessels, is ecologically sensitive. According to the statistics from the Three Gorges Navigation Administration Bureau, an average of nearly 580 ships are backlogged in the core of the dam area every day, with a waiting time of about 54 hours for each. In the past, those ships used diesel oil to generate electricity during docking and caused air and noise pollution, posing a threat to the ecology in the Three Gorges Reservoir Area.

　　It is found after investigation that the pollution caused by the docking ships can be better handled through the use of shore power instead of diesel oil for power generation.

　　Yet it is no easy work to achieve this. The annual water level drop reaches 30 meters in the Three Gorges Reservoir Area. It’s time-consuming and inefficient to resort to manpower to pull the maximum 250-meter electric cables weighing 8 kilograms per meter at low tide. When the shore water depth is insufficient, many vessels have to anchor in the middle of the Yangtze River, unable to access shore power.

　　In order to quicken the port shore power construction and application in the Yangtze River Basin and further the green development of Yangtze River shipping, the shore power company, since its establishment, has set up a research team, built demonstration projects such as Zigui Tourist Port, Shawan Anchorage, and Integrated River-way Service Area in the Three Gorges Dam Area, and creatively introduced six typical shore power systems such as “shore fixed type, shore floating type, offshore fixed type, offshore floating type, ship power charger, and energy security of the integrated river-way service zone. “These six systems can meet the demands of ship shore power under various berthing modes.” said Rong Yanhai, head of the company.

　　There are more innovations. The intelligent cable retractile system enables cables to automatically stretch and retract according to the fluctuant water level to break through the shore power access problems triggered by high drop and long distance. And such one-stop services as shore power access, expense settlement and order inquiry are provided on the shore power cloud network platform through APP.

　　“Shore power is convenient to use and operate, and saves about 2,100 yuan for one anchor and 100, 000 yuan for a year compared with diesel power generation.” On April 15, “Kelley”, a cruise ship from Chongqing, was using the shore power in Zigui Port. And its Captain Li Jie said that, shore power is being recognized and welcomed by increasing ship owners.

　　At present, there are 64 commercial wharfs in Yichang section of the Yangtze River capable of shore power supply. As a next step, the company will advance the construction of shore power in 12 anchorages and 45 business wharfs, and strive to achieve full coverage of shore power by the end of the year. By then, the annual consumption of shore power will exceed 25 million kilowatt hours. It will reduce annual fuel consumption by more than 5,000 tons and gas emissions by over 15,000 tons, which is equivalent to 615 mu of tree planting.

　　According to Fu Jingwei, deputy general manager of State Grid Hubei Electric Power Company, a mature blueprint, model and standard for the shore power construction along the Yangtze River have come into shape so far, and the experience is referential and replicable to the construction of inland river-way shore power throughout the country. In late April, the first batch of relevant units from 11 provinces and cities along the river will pay a visit to Yichang and learn from the advanced experience in shore power construction. (Reporters: Yang Jing, Zhou Yanqiong; Correspondent: Li Zhifei)