Work now under way to install three ‘eco-mooring’ bollards to power boats electrically, in bid to reduce air pollution.
It’s thought that some 200 boaters live on the waters around Oxford, half of them visiting boaters. Many of these boats are now fitted with electrical batteries. However, where there is no access to electricity for recharging, many boaters are forced to run diesel engines and generators for power, and to burn wood or coal for heating. This has a proven impact on air quality and is harmful to health.
Visitor moorings at Aristotle Lane, Oxford, photo courtesy of Oxford City Council
As part of the city council’s wider efforts to provide greener, healthier alternatives and improve air quality, electrical infrastructure is now being installed at the Aristotle Lane visitor moorings, thanks to an Air Quality Grant of £193,000 provided by the government to the council and the Canal & River Trust.
The installation comprises three electric pillars, each of which features two sockets – enabling six visiting boaters at once to plug into the grid for energy. There are five 16-amp sockets and one 32-amp socket, the latter to support the charging of electric propulsion boats also known as e-boats. The five 15-amp sockets can all be upgraded to 32-amp, should there be demand.
Work is expected to be completed by the end of February, subject to the weather.
Similar eco-mooring projects have already been installed in the London boroughs of Islington and Camden. This initial installation in Oxford will be used to inform future management of the city’s canal (subject to funding). As part of the project, the council and Canal & River Trust will provide advice on air quality and energy to Oxford boaters, including ways to transition to cleaner energy systems and more efficient heating.
Cllr Anna Railton, Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Zero Carbon Oxford at Oxford City Council, says: ‘I am excited that we will be starting to install the eco-moorings in the New Year. We know that many boaters have no other choice but to use wood-burning and diesel generators to keep warm. This project will allow us to explore how we can provide essential infrastructure to support boaters in transitioning to cleaner forms of heating, helping to protect them and their neighbours from harmful air pollution.’
Ros Daniels, Director for London and South East at the Canal & River Trust, adds: ‘Air pollution is something that affects every one of us and we all have a role to play in its reduction. Many boaters are very eco-conscious, and these moorings can give an alternative to diesel or solid fuel sources, while still being available to those who do not yet have a mains connection.’
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