Oakland tests shoreside power source for ships

The US Port of Oakland has completed a test on a LNG mobile shoreside power technology for container vessels, which was conducted by Wittmar Engineering and Construction, APL, Bay Area Air Quality Management District and Pacific Gas & Electric.

The green technology allows ships to turn off their main engines and plug into a landside electrical grid, a method known as cold ironing. More often, when a ship is docked, it uses a diesel-powered auxiliary engine to run the vessel's necessary operations.

This liquefied natural gas mobile shoreside power technology offers an environmentally-friendly alternative to generate electricity for ships at dock and significantly reduce air pollution, the port said in a statement.

The potential reduction of air pollution from docked vessels using this new LNG mobile shoreside power will be similar to the environmental benefits from cold ironing, the port said. The success of this power test also allows the port to present its findings to the California Air Resources Board (CARB) for consideration as an approved technology in their proposed ruling on cold ironing for the major California ports. CARB is expected to make its policy decisions later this year.

According to initial estimates, it would cost the Port of Oakland more than US$90 million to modify its infrastructure and implement a shoreside power system for plugging ships into an electrical grid, as the port's existing electrical grid does not have the capacity to handle the electricity demands needed to accommodate cold ironing.

In July, the Oakland Board of Port Commissioners approved a $275,000 investment to test this new technology that would provide an affordable and effective mobile alternative to the electrical grid-based cold-ironing method.

"We made this investment because we are very serious about our commitment to helping protect the environment. This project offers a viable method of reducing diesel emissions from ships and that is very important for the health of our community," said Port of Oakland executive director Omar Benjamin.