GPA receives US$2.7 million grant to replace polluting cranes

THE Georgia Ports Authority (GPA) has been awarded a United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Diesel Emissions Reduction Act (DERA) grant worth US$2.72 million as part of the National Clean Diesel Funding Assistance Programme.

The grant will be used to replace the GPA's equipment with higher tier engines that reduce air emissions.

GPA's executive director Curtis Foltz said, "I'm very pleased the new engines will increase fuel efficiency by burning cleaner, emitting less pollution and reducing fuel use per container."

Through assistance of this grant the GPA will reposer 17 of its older rubber-tyre gantry cranes (RTG) from TIER I to newer, cleaner TIER III diesel engines. These diesel engines automatically switch from idle (about half of normal operating speed) to higher operating speeds and back to idle speed as needed to meet the variable load demands, a statement from port authorities said.

The RTG repower project, as calculated by the EPA's Diesel Emissions Quantifier, is expected to reduce diesel emissions by 33 per cent or 25,000 tons over the lifetime of the 17 cranes. It will also reduce fuel consumption by 129,200 gallons annually.

The GPA converted its fleet of yard cranes, trucks and other container handling equipment to cleaner burning ULSD fuel in June 2008.

The National Clean Diesel Funding Assistance Programme provides funding to reduce emissions from existing diesel engines through a variety of strategies, including add-on emission control retrofit technologies; idle reduction technologies; cleaner fuel use; engine repowers; engine upgrades; and/or vehicle or equipment replacement; and the creation of innovative finance programs to fund diesel emissions reduction projects.
(source:www.schednet.com)