Pasha Stevedoring and Terminals LP and the Port of Los Angeles are launching the Green Omni Terminal Demonstration Project, a full-scale, real-time demonstration of zero and near-zero emission technologies at a working marine terminal.
“This is a Wright Brothers moment,” said Jeffrey Burgin, senior vice-president of Pasha. “We’re going to be the proving ground to change the paradigm of how large industrial facilities can run on clean energy. We’re confident we can show this is absolutely attainable.”
At full buildout, Pasha will be the world’s first marine terminal able to generate all of its energy needs from renewable sources. The project is funded in part by a $14.5 million grant from the California Air Resources Board (CARB) for reducing greenhouse gases and other pollutants. As part of the project, Pasha will integrate a fleet of new and retrofitted zero-emission electric vehicles and cargo-handling equipment into its terminal operations and demonstrate the latest generation of advanced technology for capturing ship emissions from vessels unable to plug into shore power at berth.
The project also features a microgrid that includes solar generation, battery storage and an energy management system to maximize usage. The 40-acre terminal handles general, project and heavy-lift cargoes of all shapes and sizes.
Project implementation will start in June with the final design and construction of the solar-powered microgrid. Components include a 1.03-megawatt photovoltaic rooftop array, a 2.6-megawatt-hour battery storage system, “bi-directional” charging equipment that can receive as well as supply power, and an energy management control system.
This project’s developmental fleet of zero-emission cargo handling equipment includes four electrified yard tractors, two high-tonnage forklifts, two drayage trucks, and a top handler. Additionally, two wharf cranes will be upgraded with new electrical drives and control systems, and the project will demonstrate ShoreCat, the next generation of the METS-1 (Marine Exhaust Treatment System) for capturing at-berth vessel emissions without plugging into shore power.
The strategy is expected to reduce more than 3,200 tons per year of greenhouse gases and nearly 28 tons annually of diesel particulate matter, nitrogen oxides and other harmful emissions from operations at the nation’s busiest container port.
The competitive grant, the first of its kind for a multi-source facility demonstration project available through the ARB, required matching funds of at least 25%. Pasha, the port, and other partners exceeded that threshold with a 44% funding match. Total cost of the project is $26.6 million. In addition to serving as the demonstration site, Pasha has committed $11.4 million in cash and in-kind participation.
Of the eight projects vying for nearly $24 million in state grants to reduce greenhouse gases and pollutants from facilities with multiple emissions sources, the Green Omni Terminal Demonstration Project captured more than 60% of the total available funding.
