Assessing Environmental and Economic Performance for Port Hydrogen Fuel Transition: A Case Study of Vancouver Fraser Port Authority

Abstract

As society continues to develop, hydrogen has emerged as a promising fuel for maritime decarbonization. This study develops an integrated environmental and economic assessment framework for the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority (VFPA) by combining life‐cycle assessment, levelized cost analysis, and multi‐criteria decision analysis across 36 scenarios spanning 2030 to 2050. Results show that solid oxide electrolysis cells (SOECs) powered by a hydroelectric grid achieved the best environmental performance, with impacts of only 48,908 kg CO 2 ‐eq. Economically, total annual system costs ranged from 410 to 1234 million CAD (MCAD). Scenario 36, which combined the SOEC system with grid energy, compressed hydrogen transport, and retrofitted dual‐fuel vessels, achieved the highest score (0.98–0.99). In summary, despite its current low level of technological maturity, the SOEC system is expected to be the most advantageous water electrolyzer for hydrogen production, while vessel retrofitting is the most economically and environmentally feasible pathway for port fleets to transition to hydrogen fuel.