Port of Oakland Gets $5 Million Clean Air Grant

The Port of Oakland received a $5 million grant from the Bay Area Air Quality Management District for a shore-side electric power project that will allow vessels at berth to operate on clean electrical power.

The $5 million from the agency's mobile source incentive fund will contribute to construction of shore power infrastructure at the first three berths in Oakland's shore power project.

Vessels operating at berth from their diesel-powered auxiliary engines are one of the largest sources of air pollution at seaports. Shore power provides grid-based electric power from land to vessels, allowing vessels to turn off their diesel-fueled auxiliary engines.

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The Oakland Board of Port Commissioners in 2008 set the goal of reducing the health risks from port sources by 85 percent by 2020. "Shore power is critical to both cleaning up the air and maintaining revenues at the port so we can continue delivering economic benefits to the region and state," said Omar Benjamin, Oakland's executive director.

Furthermore, the California Air Resources Board approved a regulation requiring 50 percent of a fleet's vessels calling at California ports to operate from shore power by 2014. By 2020, 80 percent of a fleet's visits must operate from shore power while at berth.

Oakland estimates it will cost $90 million to plan and build the land-side infrastructure needed to supply shore power at the port. Oakland will pay for the project through self-generated funds and grants.

Additionally, the maritime industry estimates it will spend $1 billion in private funds to equip vessels calling at California ports with the capacity to operate from shore power, said Delphine Prevost, the port's senior maritime projects administrator.

-- Contact Bill Mongelluzzo at bmongelluzzo@joc.com.