Oxford city council will start work this month to install electric infrastructure for boats to help reduce air pollution along the city’s waterways. In 2023, the council and the Canal & River Trust were awarded £193,000 (US$239,000) from the UK government’s annual Air Quality Grant, to install eco-moorings at the Aristotle Lane visitor moorings.
The project will see the installation of three eco-mooring bollards to provide visiting boaters with electrical power infrastructure as an alternative to diesel engines, generators and wood burners for their daily heat and energy needs.
The project builds upon the council’s existing Air Quality Action Plan to improve air quality in Oxford.
Work to install the eco-moorings will begin on January 6 and is expected to be completed by the end of February (subject to weather conditions).
In Oxford, it is estimated that there are around 200 boaters living on the rivers and canals, with half of them being visiting boaters. However, there are limited locations across the county where electrical power is available for boaters – especially for short-stay moorings.
Without access to electricity, boaters are often forced to run diesel engines to charge up their batteries and to burn wood or coal to heat their houseboats, both of which have been proven to be harmful to human health.
The eco-moorings will consist of three electric pillars, each containing two sockets, which will enable up to six visiting boaters to plug into and connect to the grid for energy. The sockets will have range of capacity – there will be five 16A sockets and one 32A socket to support the charging of e-boats. All sockets will also have the capability to become 32A in the future, based on demand.
The Oxford eco-moorings project builds upon other successful UK projects in Islington and Camden. Learnings from the project will help inform future management of Oxfords’ canal, subject to funding.