The Los Angeles Board of Harbor Commissioners has authorized
plans by metal recycling company SA Recycling to replace an older diesel mobile
crane with a new crane that will transition to an all-electric mode when an
electrification project is complete by next January.
Under the plan, the crane will initially be operated with a
cleaner Tier 4 diesel engine. Then, after January 2017, it will run solely on
electricity except for no more than 12 hours per year for standard maintenance.
When the newly installed Tier 4 engine replaces the existing
950-horsepower diesel-powered Tier 2 crane, it is expected to eliminate 74 tons
of nitrogen oxides, three tons of particulate matter, three tons of
hydrocarbons, and 14 tons of carbon monoxide emissions over the life of the
equipment.
The new crane will be used at SA Recycling’s scrap metal
recycling, processing and export operations at the Port of L.A. to load
processed metals onto vessels to be shipped overseas.
The project is funded in part by a US Environmental
Protection Agency $1.3 million Diesel Emissions Reduction Act (DERA) grant to
the port. The remaining cost of the $5 million crane replacement project is
funded by SA Recycling, which will own, operate and maintain the crane.
The Port of L.A. was one of four US ports to receive a DERA
grant last year. The grants are aimed at reducing diesel emissions and
improving air quality, particularly for communities near port operations.
