COMMISSION 
AGENDA MEMORANDUM                        Item No.          6k 
ACTION ITEM                            Date of Meeting       June 11, 2019 
DATE:     May 2, 2019 
TO:        Stephen P. Metruck, Executive Director 
FROM:    Sandra Kilroy, Director, Maritime Environment & Sustainability 
Paul Meyer, Sr. Program Manager 
SUBJECT:  Energy and Sustainability Fund: Seattle Waterfront Clean Energy Strategic Plan
Consultant 
Amount of this request:             $200,000 (Energy & Sustainability Fund) 
Total estimated project cost:        $250,000 
ACTION REQUESTED 
Request Commission authorization for the Executive Director to commit previously approved
Environment and Sustainability Center of Expertise funds to support the development of a
Seattle Waterfront Clean Energy Strategic Plan (SWCESP) in the amount of $200,000. 

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 
This expenditure furthers the Century Agenda Strategy 4: Be the greenest, most energy efficient
Port in North America. In the 2018 budget the Commission directed the Executive Director to
"Allocate no less than $1,000,000 to the Environment and Sustainability Center of Expertise to
implement the Energy and Sustainability Committee Policy Directives as adopted in the first
quarter of 2017 by the Port of Seattle Commission." 
The Committee, in its oversight role, has reviewed the project and recommends the use of the
Energy & Sustainability Funds to provide consultant support for the  SWCESP. While this
authorization  is  below  the  $300,000  threshold  delegation  requirement,  the  Committee
requested that these funds be explicitly authorized to provide visibility to the Commission and
public. 
The vision for the SWCESP is to determine our smartest investment pathways to develop and
deliver a harbor-wide maritime energy distribution system and infrastructure to provide clean,
affordable, sustainable and resilient energy for port, maritime, industrial and other waterfront
uses now and thirty years in the future.  Achieving the SWCESP vision will increase regional
competitiveness, create jobs, improve community health and social equity, and address climate
change. 

Template revised January 10, 2019.

COMMISSION AGENDA  Action Item No. _6k_                                Page 2 of 6 
Meeting Date: June 11, 2019 
The SWCESP, led by Port of Seattle, will require dedicated technical input, strategic planning,
management and time from a broad team including Northwest Seaport Alliance (NWSA), City of
Seattle  and  other  waterfront  stakeholders,  along  with  technical  support  from  outside
consultants  with  experience  in  grid  modernization  and  management,  utility  planning,
renewable energy substation and energy systems planning.  The use of the requested funds
will provide the needed consultant technical assistance and planning facilitation for the project
manager and the internal core team. 

JUSTIFICATION 
The Energy and Sustainability Committee, in coordination with staff, agreed upon two
attributes to guide distribution of these funds: 1) that the project leverage matching funds and
in-kind  support  and  2)  to  increase  partnership  opportunities  with  government,  nongovernmental
and/or educational institutions. 
The development of the SWCESP envisions a collaborative process centered around Elliott Bay,
including the container terminals managed by the NWSA, key partners including City of Seattle
(Seattle City Light, Seattle's Office of Waterfront and Civic Projects, Office of Sustainability and
the Environment), King County, State of Washington and private maritime operators.  Other
maritime transportation, business users and other public agencies may become involved with
the plan development. Extension of these commitments to financing of future improvements
will be explored, as appropriate. 
The expenditure of these funds will provide the technical information enabling the Port to
create a technology policy supported by partnerships with regional entities, businesses, and
utilities. The  overall planning process will also develop funding strategies with energy utilities,
other partners, and future grant opportunities. 
The SWCESP requires experience and technical knowledge from experts in energy planning,
engineering and project  facilitation to develop the detailed roadmap and well-balanced
strategy for the project. The funds requested will be used for an outside consultant selected to
support the project team to meet these goals. Additional engineering and financial planning
support may be needed to develop more robust project rough-order-of-magnitude costs and
life cycle analyses to produce a prioritized infrastructure plan.
DETAILS 
Aboard ships and across Port operations, industry is moving away from fossil fuels and toward
clean electricity and other clean fuel sources to meet climate change mitigation goals. To
support and enable this energy transition, the Seattle'smaritime industry, must take a holistic
and systematic view of opportunities across the harbor and work with partners to determine
cost effective, strategic opportunities for clean energy deployment and energy infrastructure
management to reduce fossil fuel use. Each strategy bears the potential for energy saving and 

Template revised September 22, 2016; format updates October 19, 2016.

COMMISSION AGENDA  Action Item No. _6k_                                Page 3 of 6 
Meeting Date: June 11, 2019 
reduction of carbon dioxide, a significant greenhouse gas contributor. Only a systematic
evaluation will result in maximum emissions reductions, identifying the optimum approach to
cost efficiency, reliability and resiliency. The Seattle Waterfront Clean Energy Strategic Plan will 
identify the comprehensive, collaborative and innovative strategies needed over the next thirty
years to provide sufficient clean electricity to reduce emissions, reduce costs, and provide
reliable and resilient energy. 
The project team will develop a deep body of knowledge about the waterfront power grid and
will work with Seattle City Light, nearby businesses, and other agencies on load demands and
grid system management. Examples of potential solutions to explore include: 
Innovative supply solutions 
Smart and resilient grid systems, 
Balance fluctuating supply and demand for electricity with storage, and 
Development of flexible demand schedules to make transmission energy use more
efficient. 
The final deliverable will be a blueprint that identifies a set of implementing projects, needed to
modernize energy delivery and management systems, which serves Port and NWSA facilities
developed in concert with businesses, City, maritime transportation, and utility energy agencies
and partners that delivers on low-emission energy in the future. 
Schedule 
The Plan is expected to be developed over the next year and half following the proposed
schedule listed below.
Project Step                                     Estimated Completion 
Internal Plan Development and Consultant      7/1/2019 
Scope Definition 
Project planning development with external     8/15/2019 
groups 
Data Gathering                                 11/15/2019 
Strategy Development                         3/15/2020 
Develop Final Report: Blueprint for               8/15/2020 
Modernized Grid 
Adopt Technology Policy                        10/30/2020 

Cost Breakdown                                     This Request           Total Project 

Consultant contract and supporting work                   $200,000               $200,000 

Template revised September 22, 2016; format updates October 19, 2016.

COMMISSION AGENDA  Action Item No. _6k_                                Page 4 of 6 
Meeting Date: June 11, 2019 
Total                                                            $200,000                $200,000 
ALTERNATIVES AND IMPLICATIONS CONSIDERED 
Alternative 1  Do not support development of a Waterfront Seattle Clean Energy Strategic
Plan. 
Cost Implications:     $0 
Pros: 
(1)   Cost savings. Conserves staff resources for other work. 
Cons: 
(1)   Would be a lost opportunity to create a roadmap for future energy infrastructure
planning that will lead to the comprehensive, collaborative and innovative strategies
needed over the next  thirty years to  provide sufficient clean energy  to reduce
emissions, reduce costs, and provide reliable and resilient energy. The Port would
continue status quo energy acquisition approaches currently in place, which involve
system impact studies and siloed energy demand planning in partnership with utilities. 
(2)    Does not support Commission adopted 2019 Local and Regional Government Policy
Priorities. 
This is not the recommended alternative. 
Alternative 2  Develop a strategic plan to determine our smartest investment pathways for a
harbor-wide the energy system that will be affordable, sustainable and resilient now and in the future. 
Cost Implications: $200,000 
Pros: 
(1) This  alternative  funds  development  of  a  roadmap  that  includes  steps,  strategies,
technologies, partnerships, processes and policies needed to provide clean energy to
Seattle's working waterfront over the next 30 years. 
(2) Will increase regional competitiveness, create jobs, improve community health and social
equity, and address climate change. 
(3) Supports Commission adopted 2019 Local and Regional Government Policy Priorities. 
Cons: 
(1) Cost of consultant and associated work to complete planning process 
(2) Significant staff effort for project that could be directed to other Port programs. 
This is the recommended alternative. 
FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS 
Initial stage setting with core internal team and Somersault Consulting has begun re-evaluating
the  problem,  developing  shared  values,  confirming  the  vision,  goals  and  establishing

Template revised September 22, 2016; format updates October 19, 2016.

COMMISSION AGENDA  Action Item No. _6k_                                Page 5 of 6 
Meeting Date: June 11, 2019 
performance goals.  This initial planning utilizes $50,000 from approved Air Quality expense
funds approved in the 2019 Maritime E & S department budget.  The requested $200,000
funding for technical consultant support and plan development will utilize the Energy and
Sustainability Committee funding. Project funding support from NWSA is expected and will be
utilized to defray the requested technical support level when explicit. 
Cost Estimate/Authorization Summary               Capital        Expense           Total 
COST ESTIMATE 
Original estimate                                          $0               $0               $0 
AUTHORIZATION 
Previous authorizations for air quality                       0        $50,0001         $50,000 
program projects 
Current request for authorization for                       0                0      $200,0002,3 
consultant support 
Total authorizations, including this request                  0                0        $250,000 
Remaining amount to be authorized                    $0             $0             $0 
Remaining amount to be authorized                    $0             $0             $0 
1 Authorized in 2019 Maritime Environment and Sustainability department air program expense budget) 
2 Included in Energy and Sustainability Committee funding authorization ($1 million) 
3Additional funds from NWSA will reduce this funding level when authorized 
Annual Budget Status and Source of Funds 
Commission directed that money be made available in the 2018 Environment and Sustainability
Center of Excellence expense funds to support and promote innovative projects that foster
efforts to reduce greenhouse gases, advance sustainability efforts and promote regional
collaboration. This request will use those already budgeted funds. 
Financial Analysis and Summary 
The development of the SWCESP will identify the comprehensive, collaborative and innovative
strategies needed over the next thirty years to provide sufficient clean energy to reduce
emissions, reduce costs, and provide reliable and resilient energy. SWCESP will demonstrate the
Port's regional leadership in achieving balanced economic and environmental benefits while
increasing the reliability and resiliency of the ports energy delivery system. The port is providing
this effort to meet Century Agenda goals and invest in a sustainable future. 
Future Revenues and Expenses (Total cost of ownership) 
Following completion of report, Commission may adopt the plan as a technology policy
establish a future roadmap for infrastructure investment to update and modernize the port's
grid system based on policy recommendations.  Those investments will likely be capital costs
and be approved on a project by project basis.

Template revised September 22, 2016; format updates October 19, 2016.

COMMISSION AGENDA  Action Item No. _6k_                                Page 6 of 6 
Meeting Date: June 11, 2019 

ATTACHMENTS TO THIS REQUEST] 
(1)      Presentation slides 
PREVIOUS COMMISSION ACTIONS OR BRIEFINGS 
February 28, 2017  The Commission were briefed on adding Energy & Sustainability
Committee funding in the amount of $1,000,000. 
January 8, 2019  The Commission was briefed on the 2019 Local and Regional Government
Policy Priorities, which included the Seattle Waterfront Clean Energy Strategic Plan. 
January 22, 2019  The Commission adopted the 2019 Local and Regional Government
Policy Priorities, which included the Seattle Waterfront Clean Energy Strategic Plan. 
April 30, 2019  The Energy & Sustainability Committee was briefed on scope of plan and
the proposal to utilize Energy & Sustainability Committee funding in the amount of
$200,000 for plan support. 












Template revised September 22, 2016; format updates October 19, 2016.