Thursday 16 April 2020

Port of Seattle to halve carbon emissions by 2030

The Port of Seattle Commission has approved a contract to enable the port to reduce its carbon dioxide emissions by 50% before 2030.

In an announcement, the organisation claims the new renewable fuel contract will result in the reduction of approximately 11,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions the port directly produces from its own operations and those from the energy it purchases.

It says the reduction will result from the authorisation of a 10-year contract with US Gain for Renewable Natural Gas (RNG) supply, a low carbon natural gas alternative produced most often from landfill waste.

The forecast drop in emissions is estimated to be equivalent to heating 4,000 Seattle homes or taking 2,400 passenger vehicles off the roads each year.

The $23 million (£18.4m) contract allows the port to purchase enough fuel to heat 55% of the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA) terminal and to power 100% of its bus fleet to reach its 50% port-wide carbon reduction goal.

SEA is expected to become the first airport in the country to utilise RNG for heating.

Fred Felleman, Commission Vice and Founding Chair of the Energy and Sustainability Committee, said: "The Commission vote is another example of the Port’s environmental leadership, even in hard times.

"While it’s critical that immediate attention is given to recovery from the Covid-19 crisis, we must continue to reduce our carbon footprint if we are to avoid the long-term economic and human costs associated with the climate crisis.”