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Written by Daniel Graeber for Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas)--Amid a rise in trade activity during the first quarter of the year, authorities at the Port of Houston said electrifying some operations could help lower the environmental footprint of the facility's many terminals.
Coming off the busiest March ever in terms of container volumes, port officials added that a cargo vessel had recently delivered six hybrid-electric cranes to the region.
"The steady addition of hybrid-electric cranes to the fleet at Port Houston's terminals reflects our commitment to continue to invest in landside infrastructure as well as our goal to reach carbon neutrality by the year 2050," said Port Director Roger Guenther.
The port authority says these cranes can reduce emissions of pollutants such as particulate matter and nitrogen oxides by as much as 90%, when compared with conventional diesel-driven cranes.
Guenther's office said Thursday that these deliveries were just one of several that are expected this year. Norway, an oil-rich nation that powers much of its economy on renewable resources, has realized similar success with lowering its environmental footprint by powering some of its offshore drilling facilities with electricity.
With support from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, port authorities are busy with an overhaul that would widen the port by 170 feet near its terminal end at Galveston Bay to 700 feet and deepen some segments by 46.5 feet.
Expected to wrap up in 2026, the expansion will allow the port to handle Neo-Panamax container ships that carry up to 15,000 20-foot-equivalent units (TEUs). Total TEUs through March were 15% higher than during the same period last year. The 360,991 TEUs in March alone marked the port's busiest month on record.
Dredging contracts were designed, meanwhile, with the environment in mind, the port authority said. The use of efficient equipment should lower emissions of harmful chemicals such as nitrogen oxides, which contribute to acid rain.
The entire maritime shipping industry in general is working to lower its environmental footprint by embracing cleaner fuels such as renewable diesel. Maritime transport accounts for around 3% of total global greenhouse gas emissions.
Elsewhere, midstream-focused Kinder Morgan Incorporated (NYSE:KMI) (Houston, Texas) said its energy transition arm executed a lease agreement to secure some 10,800 acres near the Houston Ship Channel for potential carbon storage and sequestration (CCS).
Kinder Morgan believes the facility could hold more than 300 million tons of carbon dioxide.
"Significant distance between the emitting source and the sequestration site often challenges CCS economics, and we've secured a very strategically located site," Kim Dang, the company's president, said on Wednesday.
Major energy companies have expressed interest in carbon storage opportunities along the Gulf Coast. Backed by the likes of Talos Energy Incorporated (NYSE:TALO) (Houston), the Bayou Bend project features nearly 140,000 acres of space for permanent carbon dioxide (CO2) sequestration and more than 1 billion metric tons of carbon storage capacity. Subscribers to Industrial Info's Global Market Intelligence (GMI) Chemical Processing Project and Plant databases can click here for the projects linked to the Bayou Bend effort and click here for the related plant profiles.
Industrial Info is tracking about $144 billion worth of CCS-related projects in the U.S., both onshore and offshore. Most of those are planned for Texas and Louisiana. Subscribers can click here for a list of detailed project reports.
Industrial Info Resources (IIR) is the leading provider of industrial market intelligence. Since 1983, IIR has provided comprehensive research, news and analysis on the industrial process, manufacturing and energy related industries. IIR's Global Market Intelligence (GMI) helps companies identify and pursue trends across multiple markets with access to real, qualified and validated plant and project opportunities. Across the world, IIR is tracking over 200,000 current and future projects worth $17.8 Trillion (USD).
Coming off the busiest March ever in terms of container volumes, port officials added that a cargo vessel had recently delivered six hybrid-electric cranes to the region.
"The steady addition of hybrid-electric cranes to the fleet at Port Houston's terminals reflects our commitment to continue to invest in landside infrastructure as well as our goal to reach carbon neutrality by the year 2050," said Port Director Roger Guenther.
The port authority says these cranes can reduce emissions of pollutants such as particulate matter and nitrogen oxides by as much as 90%, when compared with conventional diesel-driven cranes.
Guenther's office said Thursday that these deliveries were just one of several that are expected this year. Norway, an oil-rich nation that powers much of its economy on renewable resources, has realized similar success with lowering its environmental footprint by powering some of its offshore drilling facilities with electricity.
With support from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, port authorities are busy with an overhaul that would widen the port by 170 feet near its terminal end at Galveston Bay to 700 feet and deepen some segments by 46.5 feet.
Expected to wrap up in 2026, the expansion will allow the port to handle Neo-Panamax container ships that carry up to 15,000 20-foot-equivalent units (TEUs). Total TEUs through March were 15% higher than during the same period last year. The 360,991 TEUs in March alone marked the port's busiest month on record.
Dredging contracts were designed, meanwhile, with the environment in mind, the port authority said. The use of efficient equipment should lower emissions of harmful chemicals such as nitrogen oxides, which contribute to acid rain.
The entire maritime shipping industry in general is working to lower its environmental footprint by embracing cleaner fuels such as renewable diesel. Maritime transport accounts for around 3% of total global greenhouse gas emissions.
Elsewhere, midstream-focused Kinder Morgan Incorporated (NYSE:KMI) (Houston, Texas) said its energy transition arm executed a lease agreement to secure some 10,800 acres near the Houston Ship Channel for potential carbon storage and sequestration (CCS).
Kinder Morgan believes the facility could hold more than 300 million tons of carbon dioxide.
"Significant distance between the emitting source and the sequestration site often challenges CCS economics, and we've secured a very strategically located site," Kim Dang, the company's president, said on Wednesday.
Major energy companies have expressed interest in carbon storage opportunities along the Gulf Coast. Backed by the likes of Talos Energy Incorporated (NYSE:TALO) (Houston), the Bayou Bend project features nearly 140,000 acres of space for permanent carbon dioxide (CO2) sequestration and more than 1 billion metric tons of carbon storage capacity. Subscribers to Industrial Info's Global Market Intelligence (GMI) Chemical Processing Project and Plant databases can click here for the projects linked to the Bayou Bend effort and click here for the related plant profiles.
Industrial Info is tracking about $144 billion worth of CCS-related projects in the U.S., both onshore and offshore. Most of those are planned for Texas and Louisiana. Subscribers can click here for a list of detailed project reports.
Industrial Info Resources (IIR) is the leading provider of industrial market intelligence. Since 1983, IIR has provided comprehensive research, news and analysis on the industrial process, manufacturing and energy related industries. IIR's Global Market Intelligence (GMI) helps companies identify and pursue trends across multiple markets with access to real, qualified and validated plant and project opportunities. Across the world, IIR is tracking over 200,000 current and future projects worth $17.8 Trillion (USD).
