<p data-path-to-node="2" style="font-family: &quot;Google Sans Text&quot;, sans-serif !important; line-height: 1.15 !important;"><b data-path-to-node="2" data-index-in-node="0" style="line-height: 1.15 !important;">NAVI MUMBAI</b> — In a milestone transaction accelerating the decarbonization of India’s primary maritime gateways, the Jawaharlal Nehru Port Authority (JNPA) has partnered with the International Finance Corporation (IFC) to execute Asia-Pacific’s first labeled "Blue Financing" agreement for maritime port infrastructure. Valued at $70 million (approximately ₹585 crore) as part of a total ₹650-crore project outlay, the landmark debt package establishes the first-ever direct development finance institution (DFI) investment into an Indian state-owned major port authority.</p><p data-path-to-node="3" id="p-rc_1c8c73fdab6ca0cf-81" style="font-family: &quot;Google Sans Text&quot;, sans-serif !important; line-height: 1.15 !important;"><span data-path-to-node="3,0" style="line-height: 1.15 !important;">The debt facility is specifically structured under international blue loan principles and aligns with the sustainable blue finance directives under the Indian Ports Act and the Union Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways’ <i data-path-to-node="3,0" data-index-in-node="226" style="line-height: 1.15 !important;">Harit Sagar</i> Green Port Guidelines</span><span data-path-to-node="3,1" style="line-height: 1.15 !important;"><!----><!----><!----><!----><!----><!----><!----><!----><!----><!----><!----><!----><!----><!----><!----><!----><!----><!----><!----><!----><!----><!----><!----><!----><!----><!----><!----><!----><!----><!----><!----><!----><!----><!----><!----><!----><!----><!----><!----><!----><!----><!----><!----><!----><!----><!----><!----><!----><!----><!----><source-footnote _nghost-ng-c1489939291="" class="ng-star-inserted" style="line-height: 1.15 !important;"><sup _ngcontent-ng-c1489939291="" class="superscript" style="line-height: 1.15 !important; font-size: 16px !important; background-color: transparent !important;"><!----></sup></source-footnote><!----><!----><!----><!----><!----><!----><!----><!----><!----><!----><!----><!----><!----><!----><!----><!----><!----><!----><!----><!----><!----><!----><!----><!----><!----><!----><!----><!----><!----><!----><!----><!----><!----><!----><!----><!----><!----></span><span data-path-to-node="3,2" style="line-height: 1.15 !important;">. Proceed allocation is ring-fenced to build comprehensive quayside Shore Power Supply (SPS) infrastructure—commonly known as cold-ironing—across JNPA’s deepwater container berths, enabling calling container vessels to plug into electrical grids and switch off their auxiliary diesel marine engines during discharge and loading operations.</span><sources-carousel-inline ng-version="0.0.0-PLACEHOLDER" _nghost-ng-c1798501022="" style="line-height: 1.15 !important;"><!----></sources-carousel-inline></p><p data-path-to-node="4" style="font-family: &quot;Google Sans Text&quot;, sans-serif !important; line-height: 1.15 !important;">Technical project deployment will be executed in two distinct phases over a 24-to-36-month timeline, targeting full commercial commissioning by January 2028. The scope encompasses the engineering and integration of dedicated 33-kilovolt (kV) intake substations, step-down and frequency conversion units (adapting 50 Hz grid electricity to 60 Hz shipboard auxiliary power standards), flexible umbilical handling cranes, and high-voltage quayside connection points. Initial deployment will focus on anchoring electrical connections at one primary container terminal before expanding across the entire port complex.</p><p data-path-to-node="5" style="font-family: &quot;Google Sans Text&quot;, sans-serif !important; line-height: 1.15 !important;">Operational and environmental modeling indicates that transitioning berthed vessels from heavy marine bunker fuel to quayside shore power will cut localized shipboard carbon dioxide&nbsp;emissions by 63% and reduce harmful air pollutants—including nitrogen oxides, sulfur oxides, and fine particulate matter —by up to 90%. In addition to local air quality improvements across the Nhava Sheva coastal basin, the capital works and auxiliary servicing will generate over 400 specialized direct engineering and maintenance jobs.</p><p data-path-to-node="6" style="font-family: &quot;Google Sans Text&quot;, sans-serif !important; line-height: 1.15 !important;">Alongside the quayside infrastructure deployment, the IFC has collaborated with JNPA to formulate a broader, institutional Sustainable Finance Framework. This overarching governance architecture creates an auditable methodology for issuing future blue and green capital market instruments, enabling the port to systematically tap global ESG liquidity pools for future zero-emission projects—such as automated electric internal transfer vehicles, yard equipment electrification, and coastal ecological conservation programs.</p><p data-path-to-node="7" style="font-family: &quot;Google Sans Text&quot;, sans-serif !important; line-height: 1.15 !important;">Highlighting the demonstration potential of the transaction, Gaurav Dayal, Chairperson of JNPA, noted that Indian commercial ports have historically faced technical and financial hurdles in scaling shore power commercialization. By structuring long-term, low-cost blue credit with the IFC, JNPA overcomes early-stage capital-expenditure frictions and establishes an operational benchmark for other public port authorities and emerging market gateways to follow.</p><p data-path-to-node="8" style="font-family: &quot;Google Sans Text&quot;, sans-serif !important; line-height: 1.15 !important;">Manuel Reyes-Retana, Division Director for South Asia at the IFC, affirmed that the investment is designed to make India’s trade infrastructure future-ready by demonstrating that international sustainable financing mechanisms can be deployed at scale to decouple port volume growth from environmental degradation.</p>