The Portsmouth Marine Terminal in Portsmouth. (Sarah Vogelsong/Virginia Mercury)
The Virginia Port Authority will receive $380 million in federal funding to purchase new zero-emission cargo handling equipment and charging infrastructure.
According to members of Virginia’s congressional delegation, the funding was provided through the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Clean Ports grant program , stemming from the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 , designed to address and support environmental issues and climate goals nationwide, and achieve a net-zero economy by 2050.
As part of the Port’s sustainability efforts , officials said that the grant money will be used to buy and install electric assets and equipment as legacy equipment powered by gasoline or diesel fuel engines is retired.
The Port will replace several pieces of equipment including specialized cranes for all rail operations, shuttle carriers for moving containers, electric locomotives, on-terminal trucks and shuttle buses to move people to and from work areas.