Port of Oakland on target for greenhouse gas reduction

The Norther California port will make 75 percent of the energy it purchases for tenants greenhouse gas-free within three years, according to a statement from the Oakland port authority.    The Port of Oakland will make 75 percent of the energy it purchases for tenants greenhouse gas-free within three years, according to a statement from the port authority. This strategy involves a partnership with the East Bay Municipal Utilities District (EBMUD).
   The Northern California port currently purchases this energy from EBMUD’s biogas facility next to the Bay Bridge and then resells it to its tenants. All of the energy purchased from EBMUD is both “renewable and greenhouse gas-free,” the port authority said.
   As a utility provider, the Port of Oakland buys renewable energy from SunEdison and EBMUD, and resells it to about 125 maritime and Oakland International Airport tenants to power their operations.
   “Together with the port’s hydroelectric purchases, the total power portfolio provided to Port tenants is projected to increase from 50 percent greenhouse gas-free in 2014 to 75 percent by 2018,” the port authority said.
   According to the recently signed California Senate Bill 350 (Clean Energy and Pollution Reduction Act), half of the state’s electricity supply must be derived from renewable sources by 2030. The port authority said it’s on track to meet those standards.