Emissions cut at California port

According to the port’s 2019 emissions inventory report, diesel particulates have decreased 88%. Sulfur oxides are down 97%, while smog-forming nitrogen oxides have decreased 58%. Greenhouse gas emissions are also down 19%. The pollution levels are all compared to the 2005 baseline, the year before the original San Pedro Bay Clean Air Action Plan (CAAP) was adopted.

These emissions have reduced despite containerised cargo at the Port of Long Beach growing 14% since 2005. However, there is still a lot of work to do around implementing more environmentally friendly technology.

Frank Colonna, Long Beach Harbor Commission president, said: “Although we are meeting most of our emissions goals, it is becoming clear we are at the limits of existing technology. That’s why we are investing millions to develop and deploy the cleaner equipment.”

Emissions-reduction strategies

The CAAP was last updated in 2017 and incorporates numerous strategies to continue to reduce emissions from port-related operations in San Pedro Bay. The port is making a significant investment into developing and demonstrating the first-of-its-kind, zero-emissions equipment through the Technology Advancement Programme, and other grant-funded projects, to support future wide-scale deployment. The port is currently implementing demonstration projects that will test 60 different pieces of zero-emissions equipment. Approximately 15% the cargo-handling fleet at the port is already zero emissions today.

“Right now, we have $150 million in projects all across our port, all in the name of cleaner air,” said the port’s executive director, Mario Cordero. “We are aggressively pursuing the CAAP goals of having a zero-emissions cargo-handling fleet by 2030 and all zero-emissions drayage trucks by 2035.”

Last month, a high-power e-truck charging solution co-developed by the port won an engineering award.