
In a substantial move toward sustainability, the Port of San Diego has secured a $5 million grant to bolster its clean air initiatives. The San Diego County Air Pollution Control District will provide the grant for significant electrical upgrades at the Tenth Avenue Marine Terminal, aligning with the objectives of the port's Maritime Clean Air Strategy (MCAS).
"Since adopting the MCAS in 2021, we’ve implemented 66% of our goals and, with our partners, have committed approximately $125 million so far in maritime operations electrification to improve public health and air quality in our portside communities,” Chair Danielle Moore of the Port of San Diego Board of Port Commissioners expressed, according to the Port of San Diego. Moore emphasized the port's ambition to set an example for other California docks in combining environmental stewardship with economic vitality.
The project paves the way for future electric equipment adoption at the port and supports the Portside Community Emissions Reduction Plan. Paula Forbis, the Air Pollution Control Officer for the San Diego County Air Pollution Control District, acknowledged the port’s progress, "This project will lay the foundation to support future electric equipment at the Port, thus promoting the Portside Community Emissions Reduction Plan and our vision of Clean Air for All," she said, as per the Port of San Diego.
The grant requires counterpart funding from the Port amounting to $6,009,232, which will come from an approximately $59 million grant from the EPA Clean Ports Program in October 2024. Together, the grant and the match increase the project's total investment to over $11 million, including the procurement and installation of battery-electric cargo handling equipment and the necessary substation infrastructure improvements.