Californian ports are applying for state funding to test out the benefits of hydrogen for trucking and terminal equipment.
The ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach are part of a bid to receive hundreds of millions of dollars via federal grants that are available because of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, which President Joe Biden signed into law in November 2021.
This act, commonly known as the bipartisan infrastructure law, directed the U.S. Department of Energy to provide US$10 billion to develop four clean hydrogen hubs nationwide - and POLA hopes to be one of them.
Hydrogen benefits
Hydrogen technology has benefits that the port wants to achieve, said Mike Galvin, POLA’s director of commercial and waterfront real estate, in a presentation given to the Los Angeles harbor commission on 16 March 2023.
The Alliance for Renewable Clean Hydrogen Energy Systems, a public-private consortium, will be the lead applicant for the state’s project to the Department of Energy. The proposal from the L.A. and Long Beach ports will be included in that application.
The ports’ proposal is only a small portion of the overall statewide submission. But it would operate with a budget of US$600 million, with a 50% match required jointly from both ports.
If awarded, the first stage would deploy hydrogen equipment, including yard equipment and a fueling station. It would be scaled up in a stage two rollout that could include deploying heavy duty trucks.
The state’s application is due by 7 April and then a 12 to 18 month award-planning phase will follow.
