Shore power installations at two more cruise docks in Juneau, Alaska, will cost an estimated $111 million, according to a new projection — more than double the $54 million estimate issued in 2024.

The revised figure signals sharply rising costs for the port infrastructure that cruise lines, port operators and municipal authorities need as regulators and cruise operators push to cut ship emissions at berth. Shore power allows cruise ships to plug into the local electrical grid instead of running diesel engines while docked, a change that affects both port operating costs and the shoreside experience cruise sellers market to passengers.

The doubling of the estimate in roughly a year puts pressure on how the project gets financed and who ultimately bears the cost. Port infrastructure projects of this scale typically draw on a mix of municipal bonds, passenger head taxes, state and federal grants, and contributions from cruise line partners — funding streams that directly connect capital projects to the per-passenger economics of the Alaska cruise trade.

Juneau is one of the busiest cruise ports in Alaska, a market that has posted record passenger volumes in recent seasons and where dockside infrastructure — berths, terminals and now electrification — has become a competitive factor among port operators. Cruise lines calling at ports with shore power can reduce fuel burn at berth, which matters both for operating costs and for meeting emissions targets the major operators have published.

The new $111 million estimate covers two additional docks beyond the shore power capability Juneau already has in place. The scale of the increase, from $54 million to $111 million, reflects the broader cost escalation hitting port and maritime infrastructure projects across the cruise sector, where construction budgets have repeatedly come in above initial engineering estimates.

For travel sellers, the immediate significance is indirect but real. Port fees and head taxes are a growing line item in cruise economics, and capital projects financed through those mechanisms can influence how ports charge lines and, over time, how lines price itineraries in high-volume destinations such as Alaska.

The estimate now moves into the realm of funding decisions, where the City and Borough of Juneau, port officials and cruise industry partners will determine how the $111 million gets covered and on what timeline the two docks are electrified.