Port of Long Beach on Track for Zero-Emission Future, CEO Says
- The Port of Long Beach is striving to become the first zero-emissions gateway in the U.S. through efforts in automation, electrification, and green energy.
Twenty years from the advent of its Green Port Policy, the Port of Long Beach (POLB) is holding fast to its goal become the first zero-emissions gateway in the U.S.
Port CEO Mario Cordero delivered his annual State of the Port address on Thursday, speaking to the operation’s efforts to leverage automation, electrification and green energy as it moves to improve air quality and biodiversity in the surrounding community.
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Since 2005, the Port has driven down diesel emissions (created by ships, trains and trucks) by 92 percent, nitrogen oxides (ozone-forming gases created by fossil-fuel guzzling cars, trucks and buses) by 71 percent, sulfur oxides (the colorless gases that create smog) by 98 percent and greenhouse gases by 17 percent, Cordero said.
It was in January of that year that the Long Beach Harbor Commission adopted the Green Port Policy, which vowed to drive down the harmful environmental impacts of port operations to safeguard the health of people and animals living nearby.
In his address, Cordero credited industry partners like marine terminal operators and dock workers for their help in addressing these impacts, largely through the adoption of cutting-edge technology and sustainable practices aimed at air and water health.
“No enterprise in Long Beach epitomizes the move away from fossil fuels to clean, alternative energy more than our Port,” Long Beach Mayor Rex Richardson said at the event. “The Port is moving more cargo than ever before in ways that are cleaner than ever. We’re electrifying port infrastructure, cargo-moving equipment, trucking and rail operations.”
“The Green Port Policy was the result of a grassroots movement at its very best,” added Long Beach Harbor Commission President Bonnie Lowenthal. “It was and still is about improving quality of life and being responsive to the needs of our residents and neighboring communities.”
The POLB advanced several of the program’s key projects throughout 2024, Cordero said.
In May, the Port teamed with Toyota Motor of North America and FuelCell Energy to open a first-of-its-kind “Tri-gen” system, which leverages biogases from landfills to generate renewable electricity, renewable hydrogen and usable water, which now support operations at Toyota’s logistics services in Long Beach.
Last fall, the Port saw the opening of its newest heavy-duty vehicle charging depot for Class-8 zero-emissions trucks built by 4 Gen Logistics. The facility, which is the largest of its kind at any North American port, contains 30 chargers designed to power up the vehicles quickly.
Two other charging depots also broke ground last year, and this week, the Port plans to add 44 more charging units during a ribbon-cutting ceremony at Forum Mobility, “Thus surpassing 100 public charging units in the Port,” Cordero said. “That’s more than any other port in the country.”
The POLB chief executive said he was “encouraged by our drayage partners’ willingness to transform their fleets,” with 457 electric trucks currently in operation at the Port. The “Clean Truck Fund rate,” which charges a fee of $10 per TEU loaded onto trucks leaving the port complex, has incentivized the transition and generated over $100 million that is funding the deployment of zero-emissions vehicles. About $60 million in funding has been distributed to support the purchase of new electric trucks and charging stations.
During 2024, the Port also deepened its ties with the Ports of Shanghai and Singapore, with which it shares Green Shipping Corridor agreements. “The trans-Pacific trade route is the most important international trade corridor and these ports are some of the busiest in the world,” Cordero said. “We believe these agreements demonstrate the promise of green shipping corridors where the new normal will be containers moving on modern ocean vessels powered by clean fuels.”
Many ocean carriers are now ordering ships that run on cleaner, lower-carbon emitting fuels like methanol and ammonia, while LNG-capable ships are also being prioritized.
Meanwhile an environmental review is currently taking place and community input is being solicited surrounding Pier Wind, a proposal to build a 400-acre terminal to assemble 1,100-foot-high floating offshore wind turbines which would be towed 20 to 30 miles off the coast of Central and Northern California. The turbines would propel California’s green-energy goals, and it could also generate $8 billion in labor income, $14.5 billion in economic output and $1.3 billion in state and local taxes between now and 2045, the POLB said in a statement.
This project is among many that the Port is planning over the coming decade, projecting a spend of $2.3 billion in capital improvements to support capacity growth and sustainability.
2024 Port Volumes
Cordero also spoke to the details of the Port’s record container processing last year, noting that it ended 2024 with 9,649,724 twenty-foot equivalent units moved, an increase of more than 20 percent from the previous year and a 2.8-percent increase from the previous record of 9.3 million TEUs moved in 2021.
Imports grew by 24.3 percent to 4,729,552 TEUs, while exports fell 5.9 percent from 20223 to 1,207,036 TEUs. Notably, the volume of empty containers flowing through the Port system grew by 26.6 percent to 3,713,137 TEUs.
The Port ended its most active December to date by moving 861,006 TEUs, up 21.3 percent from the year-ago period. This surpassed the previously held record set in December 2020 by 5.5 percent. Imports grew 23.9 percent to 412,876 TEUs, while exports fell 2.8 percent to 100,792 TEUs from December 2023. Empty containers, too, increased by 27.3 percent to 347,338 TEUs. According to Port data, December was the seventh consecutive monthly year-over-year cargo increase and the Port’s busiest quarter ever, with 2,732,351 TEUs moved between Oct. 1 and Dec. 31.
