Port of Hueneme clean energy program gets $42.3M federal jolt
The Port of Hueneme’s plan to go all-electric by 2045 just got a $42.3 million jumpstart from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
The grant is part of a total $3 billion that will be awarded by the EPA to ports across the country as part of the Clean Ports Program, the agency announced Wednesday. The grants are funded by the Inflation Reduction Act.
Hueneme plans to use its slice of the pie to replace up to 95% of its current diesel-powered cargo handling equipment — vehicles like container-hauling tractors — with electric-powered alternatives and charging infrastructure.
Federal and local officials cheered the new grant in a Wednesday press release. U.S. Rep. Julia Brownley, who helped procure the funding, lauded the port’s “innovative sustainability efforts.” Port CEO Kristin Decas said the money would boost the port’s efforts to be the nation’s first with zero emission cargo handling.
The port aims to get to zero emissions from terminal equipment by 2030 and is signed on to the state’s goal of 100% clean emission trucking by 2045. Trucks, just 6% of California's vehicles, account for a quarter of on-road greenhouse gas emissions, according to the state.
Even before the new chunk of grant money, the port had cobbled together more than $100 million in local, state and federal funding to refurbish basic infrastructure and begin purchasing electric and emissions-control equipment.
Giles Pettifor, the port’s director of environment and sustainability, said in an interview it could still take years for the port to feel the newest cash injection. The port won’t get access to the money until early next year and has to go through the normal public process to make its purchases.
In December 2023, a storm caused millions of dollars in damage to port infrastructure, closing down a shore-based power system that allowed ships to entirely shut down their diesel engines when berthed.
Pettifor said the port is still in the design process to rebuild the system and hopes to pay for the project, which is expected to run $40 million to $50 million, with state disaster relief funding.
It will take at least 18 months of construction, Pettifor said, in part because on-shore power is a newer technology and competition between ports, airports and other industries is stiff for the limited supply of heavy electrical infrastructure parts and equipment.
”We are at the pointy end of the spear,” he said.
The port’s long-term goals to reduce emissions could be similarly bottlenecked by the pace of development of electric-powered technology, Pettifor said. Manufacturers have yet to start building heavy watercraft like tug boats.
Electric trucks are still prohibitively expensive, especially for smaller operators, and public infrastructure for charging them is scarce.
There is currently only one publicly accessible medium- and heavy-duty charging facility in Ventura County, according to state data. More would be necessary to make electric trucking viable.
“That’s the 80,000-pound elephant in the room,” Pettifor said. “It’s a very real issue.”
As of 2023, there were only 37 medium- and heavy-duty electric vehicles based in the county, according to state data. Of those, 25 are buses.
Isaiah Murtaugh covers Oxnard, Camarillo and Port Hueneme for the Ventura County Star. Reach him at isaiah.murtaugh@vcstar.com or 805-437-0236 and follow him on Twitter @isaiahmurtaugh.
This article originally appeared on Ventura County Star: Port of Hueneme clean energy program gets $42.3 million federal jolt
