The Port of San Diego continues to take quick and significant actionrntoward further improving air quality on and around San Diego Bay.
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On September 14, the Port accepted an approximately $2.7 million grant from the San Diego County Air Pollution Control District (SDAPCD), which provides incentive funding to support clean technology investments, especially in underserved communities.
The grant will partially fund electrical upgrades to power two new all-electric mobile harbor cranes that will help improve public health and reduce diesel particulates, a significant milestone in bringing cleaner air to the Portside communities of Barrio Logan, Sherman Heights, Logan Heights, and West National City.
The cranes will be the first of their kind in North America when they begin operating at the Port’s Tenth Avenue Marine Terminal (TAMT) in summer 2023.
In support of the electric cranes, the Board also:
• Approved the use of approximately $1.9 million of the Port’s Low Carbon Fuel Standards (LCFS) credit proceeds. This funding source is part of a state program managed by the California Air Resources Board (CARB) that allows the Port to sell credits from shore power operations. The Port then invests the proceeds into additional electrification projects.
• Approved a construction contract with Leed Electric, Inc. for approximately $8.9 million to make the needed electrical infrastructure improvements.
In January, the Board of Port Commissioners authorized a purchase agreement with Germany-based Konecranes, which has an office in San Diego, for two all-electric, battery-supported Gottwald Generation 6 Mobile Harbor Cranes to replace the diesel-powered crane currently in use at TAMT.
The Port purchased the cranes for approximately $14 million, paid for through the Port’s Economic Recovery Program, which was established for the approximately $110 million in federal stimulus funds being distributed to the Port via the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) and the State of California’s Coronavirus Fiscal Recovery Fund.
The conversion from a diesel-powered crane to an all-electric crane system is a big step toward achieving a long-term goal of the Port’s Maritime Clean Air Strategy (MCAS) – 100 percent zero-emission cargo handling equipment by 2030 – and is ahead of California Air Resources Board (CARB) regulations.
In addition to the environmental and public health benefits, the new crane system will represent the heaviest lift capability of any crane system currently in place on the West Coast and will enable the Port to attract new business opportunities due to the increased maximum lift capacity – up to 400 metric tons (MT) versus the 100 MT lifting capacity of the Port’s diesel crane.
Most of the heavy-lift cargoes destined for this region weigh more than 200 MT, including larger pieces of solar, wind, and industrial energy equipment as well as project cargoes.
The new cranes will allow the Port to compete for this business. With their heavier capacity and faster offloading speed, the new cranes will also better serve our existing operations when crane movements are needed.
TAMT, one of the Port’s two marine cargo terminals, serves as an omni-cargo terminal consisting of a 96-acre facility and handles breakbulk, bulk, container, and project cargos such as transformers for regional utilities in addition to steel and engines used in local shipbuilding. ■
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