Seroka addresses power disruptions at Port of LA amid decarbonisation concerns

Over the past year, the Port of Angeles has experienced several power interruptions, most of which are brief surges lasting only seconds. Despite their short duration, these disruptions necessitate significant downtime for industrial equipment. The Wall Street Journal recently reported that these power supply glitches might hinder the port’s plans to phase out diesel-powered machinery by 2030. The information about power disruptions came from private companies that handle containers which said that the power supply surges and lulls were knocking out cranes and other equipment at the port. The disruptions are being reported at a time when the port is advancing its net-zero pledge with electrification of equipment taking centre stage.

Gene Seroka, CEO of the Port of Los Angeles, confirmed the power disruptions during yesterday’s news briefing, saying that a dozen of them occurred over the past year, adding that that was “far too many”.

“With any kind of power disruption at a marine terminal, there are some types of equipment that have to be recycled”, Seroka said, which means that they would need to be turned off and rebooted. In an industrial setting, this process can take hours (2-4h). Seroka further explained that the port’s six marine operating facilities, which manage seven terminals across nine shifts a week, face a risk of losing one shift per month due to power outages should this occur on a monthly basis.  Although these disruptions do not significantly affect competitiveness or cost structures, they add complexity to the already intricate supply chain managed by the port. Seroka emphasised that efforts are underway to mitigate these challenges in collaboration with the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (DWP).

“We’re working closely with DWP and other stakeholders to mitigate even the smallest power interruptions,” he said.

New equipment more sensitive to current fluctuations

Seroka noted that the process of decarbonising port equipment will involve trial and error and resilience planning.

“We’re going to learn a lot, and we’re going to fail forward on some issues and we’re going to find that the newer equipment that’s being used on marine terminals is even more sensitive to electric current going up and down. So resilience is going to be a big part of this too. Some borne by the marine terminal, some helped out by the port, and other parts of it by the DWP,” he added.

Seroka acknowledged the significant challenges ahead, stating, “We’ve got a lot more to do; this is a highlighted issue that will get fixed. We’ve got the best and the brightest on it, but we need to keep chipping away.”

The port has been aware of the technical challenges electrification of terminal equipment was likely to have on the grid. In 2023, the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) issued a technical report titled the Zero-Emission Planning and Grid Assessment for the Port of Los Angeles, which was jointly funded by DWP and the port. The project team reviewed electrification efforts with six POLA container terminal operators and developed a roadmap to achieve zero-emission goals by 2030 and 2035, assessed the impact on the LADWP grid, and explored hydrogen as a fuel option to minimise grid disruptions. One of the key findings was that terminal tractors (UTRs), top handlers, forklifts, RTG cranes, and straddle carriers offer the highest electrification potential opportunity for POLA, accounting for nearly 88% of the total container CHE inventory of the six terminals. The report’s grid impact analysis indicates that optimal charging solutions at terminal operator locations can significantly reduce peak demand for CHE. While unmanaged charging scenarios lead to substantial grid overloads and require costly upgrades, managed charging would mitigate these impacts.

Regarding the root causes of the power disruptions, Seroka mentioned various potential factors, including bird strikes on transformers. “We are categorising each power disruption to troubleshoot and understand the causes,” he said.

Seroka noted that while controlling power current to the narrowest bandwidth may not be feasible, the resiliency package is crucial. He further said that with no off-the-shelf solutions available, the focus remains on innovating and fine-tuning strategies to improve power distribution, stressing that more work and learning are needed in this area.