Port of Hueneme gets $10.4M grant to install plug-in power for docked ships
The Ventura County Transportation Commission awarded the Port of Hueneme $10.4 million to build out electrical infrastructure at the north terminal that will cut down on emissions while ships are docked.
The upgrades, announced Monday at the port, will allow moored vessels to connect directly to the facility's power supply instead of running auxiliary engines.
The project is expected to be completed in mid-2024, said Letitia Austin, port spokesperson.
The south terminal was connected to the all-electric shoreside system in 2014. Emissions at the south terminal, where container ships now plug in, have seen a significant drop: an estimated 96% decrease in sulfur oxides and a 77% reduction in harmful diesel particulates, port officials said in a release.
Similar reductions in particulate matter are expected at the north terminal, where many car-carrying vessels unload. The state-of-the art system will allow such ships to effectively eliminate diesel emissions while at berth, officials said.
"This historic and unprecedented amount of funding allows the port to continue its work reducing air emissions while continuing to move essential cargo," said Mary Anne Rooney, president of the Oxnard Harbor District, which owns the port, in a statement.
Kristin Decas, port director and CEO, called the funding a "big step forward" to help the port reach a goal of zero emissions. "The shoreside power project plays a significant part in that plan's success," she said in a release.
Martin Erickson, the transportation commission's executive director, said in a statement that partnerships "like the one between VCTC and the Port of Hueneme help to create a better Ventura County.
"The Port of Hueneme has a significant impact on our our community — both economically and environmentally — which is why projects like shoreside power are so important to move forward," Erickson said.
Oxnard Councilman Bryan MacDonald, who is vice chair of the transportation commission, called the grant "huge" for the Oxnard and Port Hueneme areas. When ships come to the port and are sitting at the berth, he said, they run onboard power plants if they don't have a power source.
"Now, they can come in, shut down their machinery, plug in and be fully self-sufficient," MacDonald said in the statement.
The port also recently received state and federal funding from the Environmental Protection Agency and the Volkswagen Environmental Mitigation Trust to increase electrification efforts and track air quality progress.
This article originally appeared on Ventura County Star: Port of Hueneme's $10.4M grant will reduce emissions as ships plug in
