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The Port of San Diego has put forward a proposal for the installation of shore power at its Tenth Avenue Marine Terminal.

The proposed project would allow vessels such as container ships and refrigerated cargo ships to 'plug in' and use electrical power from San Diego Gas & Electric, rather than run off their own diesel engines whilst at berth.

The project would allow modifications to be carried out for the installation of shore power equipment at three berths located at the Tenth Avenue Marine Terminal. Initially, there would only be the capability to power one vessel at a time.

The port's main tenant at the terminal, Dole Fresh Fruit Company, recently signed a new long-term lease for 24 years. Under the terms of the agreement, the Port of San Diego and Dole agreed to work together on infrastructure improvements. The port would therefore be responsible for installing the land-side shore power infrastructure and Dole would pay for the vessel-side improvements.

Commenting on the environmental implications of the project, the Port of San Diego said: "Based upon the Draft Mitigated Negative Declaration findings, the proposed project, with mitigation measures incorporated, would not have any significant adverse impacts to the environment."

The Port of San Diego is the fourth largest of the 11 ports in California. It includes two maritime cargo terminals and two cruise ship terminals.

In 2010, the Port of San Diego installed a $7.1 million system that enables cruise ships at berth to be powered by a shore-side electrical source at the B Street Cruise Ship Terminal. The port became only the fifth in the world and the second in California with the capability of powering a cruise ship from shore. The Port of San Francisco was the first port in California to complete installation of shore power for cruise ships.

The infrastructure that provides shore power to cruise ships docked at the B Street Terminal also has the capability of powering a ship docked at the Port Pavilion on Broadway Pier, which serves as both an event centre and auxiliary cruise ship terminal.

The shore power infrastructure at the B Street Terminal was installed by Cochran Electric, Inc. The company has also installed shore power for the ports of Seattle, San Francisco and Vancouver.

Shore power technology, also known as 'cold ironing', is just one of the initiatives the Port of San Diego has implemented to minimize its impact on the environment through its Green Port Program.

The program unifies the port’s environmental sustainability goals in six key areas: water, energy, air, waste management, sustainable development, and sustainable business practices.

Image: Dole Fresh Fruit at the Tenth Avenue Terminal, San Diego.