The California Energy Commission will give a US$2.5 million grant to Long Beach Harbor, with the goal of making the Port of Long Beach (POLB) more environmentally friendly.
“The Port of Long Beach has forged a new direction for the shipping industry and today, we are on the path to zero-emissions operations by 2030 for cargo-handling equipment and 2035 for trucks servicing the Port,” said Port of Long Beach executive director, Mario Cordero.
The funding supports the second phase of the Electric Vehicle Blueprint of the second-largest US port, which was created to strategically support electric vehicles. It also ensures that the local workforce has the skills and competencies needed to be ready to use these electric vehicles.
“The California Energy Commission is part of our collaborative model that has allowed us to reduce diesel pollution by 90% compared to 2005,” said Long Beach harbor commission president Steven Neal.
“The Electric Vehicle Blueprint identifies the path toward zero emissions and will provide an economical, demonstrated approach to electric vehicle planning that other California seaports can replicate,” added Neal.
In addition, through the grant, the Californian port will have the opportunity to develop an overall plan for SSA Marine’s Pier J facility to convert to zero-emissions operations.
Similarly, another plan will be developed to assess the infrastructure required to support a fully zero-emissions port-owned fleet of vehicles and ships.
Other projects include the installation of chargers at POLB’s Maintenance Facility, as well as the infrastructure required to power future chargers at the port’s Joint Command and Control Center.
Finally, funds will be used to develop a report in collaboration with Long Beach City College to identify the skills of the workforce needed to maintain zero-emissions trucks and infrastructure.
It is important to note that the port of Long Beach will contribute US$847,072 of the corresponding funds to the total cost of US$3.4 million.
