This week, a group of Japanese Ministry officials and California State Transportation Agency (CalSTA) members met with the Port of Oakland to discuss green initiatives to achieve zero emissions from seaport operations.
The meeting was a follow-up to a clean energy trade mission to Japan in March where California policymakers, decisionmakers and business executives met to exchange ideas about tackling climate change, growing green energy and creating new investment and trade opportunities. As a major U.S. West Coast seaport, Port of Oakland officials were part of the California delegation and discussions.
Japan’s Director General of Ports and Harbor Bureau of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, talked about his country’s efforts to create Carbon Neutral Ports. Japan’s goal is to reach carbon neutral port operations by 2050.
Osamu Horita and CalSTA Secretary Toks Omishakin were on hand to hear about the progress made by the Port of Oakland on its road to zero emissions.
We hope this new collaborative effort will deepen cooperation in our industry to reach our zero-emissions goal set in our Seaport Air Quality 2020 and Beyond Plan that our Board unanimously adopted four years ago.
… said Barbara Leslie, President of the Oakland Board of Port Commissioners
Port officials shared information on the electrification of the Oakland Seaport, the turning basins widening project and the Seaport Gateway project, all intended to increase efficiency and reduce congestion while reducing emissions. The Port also talked about grant funding applications to help finance green initiatives that support cutting diesel emissions and greenhouse gases from its maritime operations.
For the Port of Oakland’s part, we are proud of the progress we have been able to achieve to drastically reduce emissions from port maritime operations including diesel particulate matter by 86%
… added Barbara Leslie
Electrification of the Oakland Seaport
The project aims to modernize a 12 MW power substation into an integrated renewable power generation to support the Port’s expansion of electric heavy duty truck fleet and electrically-powered cargo-handling equipment. Additionally, a new substation will also aspire to:
- Provide increased power for increased ship electric power, and improve Port and community electrical grid resiliency. The new substation will replace a circa 1950s substation that is at the end of its useful life.
- Improve power capacity and resiliency through integration of a 2 MW fuel cell, connectivity to a near-by EBMUD biomass-powered generator, and 4 MW of solar generation and storage within the Seaport area.
- Additionally, during power emergencies, the substation could also provide power to the local community, thereby enhancing local grid resilience in the face of climate-change-driven power failures due events such as wildfires or extreme heat.
Seaport Gateway project
The Project aims to realign and reconstruct a primary trucking and access gateway into the Port of Oakland. The reconstructed access into the Oakland Seaport will relieve truck and vehicle congestion, increase safety and provide flexibility for seaport cargo operations. It includes a shared bicycle/pedestrian pathway for public access to the Middle Harbor Shoreline Park in order to increase efficiency, foster sustainability and support the entire Northern California economy.
California Port Data Partnership
In late April, California’s five containerized ports inclusive of the Port of Hueneme, the Port of Long Beach, the Port of Los Angeles, the Port of Oakland, and the Port of San Diego, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in Sacramento launching the California Port Data Partnership alongside state and federal partners. The MoU was signed with a common goal of supporting improved freight system resilience, goods movement efficiency, emissions reduction, and economic competitiveness.
