Virginia Inland Port (VIP) is fulfilling all of its operational electricity needs from clean-energy resources moving the Port of Virginia closer to carbon-neutrality by 2040.
The inland port gets its power from Rappahannock Electric Cooperative and through a new agreement the utility company will provide clean electricity to VIP from Virginia-based solar installations to all six of its general cargo terminals.
“We have a clearly-stated goal of getting away from fossil fuel use and this is another important step forward,” said Stephen A. Edwards, CEO and executive director of the Virginia Port Authority (VPA).
“This port is a modern, world-class operation and we are overlaying it with a twenty-first century approach to sustainability. This move helps reduce our contribution to global climate change and will help make us a leader among our US East Coast peers in terms of environmental sustainability.”
Energy transition
The move to renewable energy is part of the overall expansion and modernisation of VIP.
This year work begins on a US$15 million capacity expansion that will create more capacity and efficiency. When the work is complete, the terminal will retire straddle carriers and begin using rubber-tire gantry cranes to move containers from railcars to trucks.
The port is already sourcing some of its electricity for cargo operations at its terminals in the Norfolk Harbor from renewable sources. By 2024, the port will fulfill all of its electricity needs at its marine terminals from renewable recourses, well ahead of the its 2032 deadline.
Nearly six years ago, the port began to electrify its operation, audit carbon emissions and replace aging equipment with greener machines. As a result, more than one-third of the equipment it uses today is electric.
The port’s 2040 carbon neutrality goal focuses on protecting local communities and the environment through fundamental changes in how the port operates
