The New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO) has awarded a grant to Mitsui E&S Machinery (MES-M) and its US subsidiary Paceco for a project to demonstrate a commercially viable hydrogen fuel model at the Port of Los Angeles.
This award is part of a larger project that includes a demonstration of the hydrogen supply chain, from local hydrogen generation through the use of hydrogen fuel cell technology in port container handling equipment and dredging trucks.
This project will be carried out in conjunction with Toyota Tsusho, Toyota Tsusho America, Hino Motor Manufacturing, and Hino Motor Manufacturing USA, and will last from February 2022 to March 2026.
Los Angeles and Long Beach port officials have developed a Clean Air Action Plan (CAAP) to target zero diesel emissions from the port by 2030.
Switching a rubber-tyred gantry (RTG) crane powered by a huge diesel engine genset to a zero-emission hydrogen fuel cell power source among the container handling equipment will drastically cut emissions at the port.
MES-M began a hydrogen fuel cell-powered zero-emission (ZE) Transtainer RTG development project in September 2021, thanks to NEDO funding.
The ZE Transtainer RTG will be shipped to a terminal in the Port of Los Angeles for feasibility testing in real operation beginning in Q2 2024 as part of the entire project.
This will be the world’s first demonstration of hydrogen fuel cell-powered cargo handlings equipment, such as the ZE Transtainer crane and dredging trucks, powered by pure hydrogen produced locally. The demonstration will take place over a three-year period.
A near-zero-emission (NZE) Transtainer RTG is now available from the manufacturer, which is equipped with a tiny diesel engine genset that can be switched to hydrogen power when hydrogen infrastructure grows to ports.
