Pasha goes green in LA

May 30 - Pasha Stevedoring and Terminals 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, which they cl

Jeffrey Burgin, senior vice president of Pasha stated: "This is a Wright Brothers moment. 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 build out, Pasha will be the world's first marine terminal able to generate all of its energy needs from renewable sources.

As part of the project, which has a total cost of USD26.6 million, 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.

With the goal of making the Pasha terminal a more sustainable and resilient facility that can operate independently off the grid in the event of a power loss, the project also features a microgrid that includes solar generation, battery storage and an energy management system to maximise usage.

The 40-acre (16.2 ha) terminal handles general, project and heavy lift cargoes of all shapes and sizes, including breakbulk commodities such as steel, and containerised cargo, which Pacha says makes it the ideal laboratory for developing zero-emission solutions for many industries.

Project implementation will start in June with the final design and construction of the solar-powered microgrid. Components include a 1.03 MW photovoltaic rooftop array, a 2.6 MW-hour battery storage system, bi-directional charging equipment that can receive as well as supply power, and an energy management control system.

The 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. METS-1, which was piloted at the Port of Los Angeles, is one of only two existing ARB-approved alternatives to shore power.

The two companies say that these upgrades will cut more than 3,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions and 30 tonnes of other pollutants from the terminal's operations - the equivalent of removing 14,000 cars from the road.

Implementation will be funded by USD11.4 million from Pasha and USD14.5 million from CARB's California Climate Investments grant programme, which reinvests proceeds from California's greenhouse gas cap-and-trade auction system.