The Port of Long Beach recently celebrated the completion of a 10-year project to develop one of the world’s most eco-friendly and technologically advanced container terminals.

“As the world’s first all-electric, zero-emission mega terminal, the Long Beach Container Terminal sets the industry standard for moving cargo sustainably while keeping the port competitive and supporting vital jobs,” said Mario Cordero, executive director of the Port of Long Beach. “It is truly a technological marvel that will allow us to increase our throughput, improve air quality and maintain our status as a leading gateway for transpacific trade.”

The project combined two aging terminals into one. The redeveloped terminal has more than double the capacity and half the air pollution than the ones it replaced.

“Through its all-electric cranes and transport system, LBCT is operating with 90% fewer emissions than its competition,” said Anthony Otto, Long Beach Container Terminal president. “We have in fact already accomplished what the state of California desires all terminal operators to transition to by 2030. Of all the achievements, our environmental achievements are what we are most proud of.”

At the outset of the project, Southern California Edison undertook a four-year effort to install the needed electrical infrastructure that now serves as the backbone of the fully electrified container terminal, which all by itself would be one of the busiest ports in the U.S.

And just how busy is that?

The Long Beach Container Terminal’s annual capacity is equal to 3.3 million 20-foot-long shipping containers. Using comparison information available on shipping websites, that’s enough volume to hold approximately 1.3 billion flat-screen TVs.

Offloading and moving all those containers takes a huge array of cargo-handling equipment, including some of the largest cranes in the world. In decades past, this equipment was diesel-powered, plaguing the port and surrounding communities with bad air and high greenhouse gas emissions.

“Now everything in the terminal — ship-to-shore trains, yard haulers and gantry cranes — is powered by clean electricity,” said Damon Hannaman, SCE account manager. “Today the terminal is completely emission-free.”

To accommodate electrification of the terminal, SCE installed a dedicated substation and miles of electrical cable. The electrical improvements also allow ships visiting the terminal to plug into onshore power. By doing so, they can turn off their auxiliary diesel generators and use clean electricity for lights, refrigeration, communication and other onboard needs while cargo is being loaded and off-loaded.

Additionally, the terminal has the largest on-dock rail facility in North America, which will dramatically reduce pollution from truck traffic in and around the port.

At another terminal, rubber-tire gantry cranes and yard haulers were electrified through SCE’s Charge Ready program, eliminating a major source of harmful emissions at the port.