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The Port of Long Beach has begun construction on its fourth "shore power" dock, to allow more ships to plug in to clean electricity and decrease pollution.

Construction began recently at SSA Terminals/Matson Navigation Co.'s Pier C facility. The $6.5 million project broke ground in July. When completed next summer, the Pier C facility will become the fourth at the Port with shore power capabilities.

Shore power, also known as "cold ironing", allows ships to shut down their auxiliary engines while docked and plug into landside electricity, which nearly eliminates air pollution from ships at berth. Typically, ships use diesel engines to power on-board equipment such as computers, elevators and air conditioning.

Last year International Transportation Service, Inc. (ITS) on Pier G became the first container terminal at the Port outfitted with shore power. This summer the BP Terminal on Pier T went electric, to become the first oil tanker terminal equipped with shore power in the world. Cement carriers at Mitsubishi Cement Corporation's terminal at Pier F have been plugging into landside electricity since 2005.

Ships account for about half of port-related air pollution, much of it from the vessels' auxiliary engines. Shutting down a single ship's diesel engines at berth for a day is said to achieve the same air quality improvements as taking 33,000 cars off Southern California roads.