The busiest container port in the United States, the 7,500-acre Port of Los Angeles, is now charting a course to be the greenest port as well.
Thanks to a demonstration project testing advanced technologies, the Port of Los Angeles is serving as a proving ground to show how large industrial facilities can operate sustainably.
The Green Omni Terminal Demonstration Project is a full-scale demonstration of zero- and near-zero emission technologies at a working marine terminal. At full build-out, the 40-acre terminal will be the world’s first marine terminal to generate all of its energy needs from renewable sources.
“With this partnership, we begin a new era for global shipping where we can eliminate emissions as we power our economy ahead," Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti said in a press release celebrating a $14.5 million award from ARB to launch the project in mid-2016.
The project will improve the health, quality of life, and local economy of Wilmington, which is adjacent to the terminal, disproportionately impacted by industrial pollution, and one of California’s most disadvantaged communities. The terminal handles general, project, and heavy-lift cargoes of all shapes and sizes including break bulk commodities such as steel and containerized cargo, making it the ideal laboratory for developing zero-emission solutions for many industries.
The Green Omni Terminal Demonstration Project incorporates many innovative clean technologies, including:
A microgrid that includes a 1-megawatt solar array, a 2.6-megawatt-hour battery storage system and an energy management system to maximize usage, with the goal of enabling the terminal to operate off the grid in the event of a power loss;
A fleet of new and retrofitted zero-emission battery-electric trucks and cargo handling equipment that includes four electrified yard tractors, two high-tonnage fork lifts, two drayage trucks, and a top handler;
Two wharf cranes upgraded with new electrical drives and control systems; and
The latest generation of advanced technology for capturing ship emissions from vessels unable to plug into shore power at berth.
“The Green Omni Terminal Demonstration Project is a great example of moving forward to achieve greater emission reductions from port-related sources and improving air quality for those who live in the neighborhoods next to the port,” Port of Los Angeles Executive Director Gene Seroka said.
Ultra-clean zero emission yard trucks are delievered to the Green Onmi Demonstration Terminal
The total cost of the project is $26.6 million. In addition to serving as a demonstration site, terminal operator Pasha has committed $11.4 million in cash and in-kind participation. The project is expected to reduce more than 3,200 MTCO2e per year, and nearly 28 tons per year of diesel particulate matter, nitrogen oxides and other harmful emissions from operations at the nation’s busiest container port.