Port of LA Struggles With Shift in Power Supply

Terminal operators at the Port of Los Angeles are complaining that an unreliable power supply at the port is causing power surges and lulls, disrupting ship-to-shore cranes and other container-handling equipment. The Wall Street Journal says the problem threatens the bid to phase out diesel-powered machinery by 2030, because the shift means cargo-handling companies are becoming more dependent on the electric grid.

The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, which provides energy to the port, says the nine outages so far this year were caused by a series of unusual events, including equipment failure, bad weather, birds hitting power lines and vehicles hitting electric poles. The utility says it is investing hundreds of millions of dollars to boost power and to improve reliability, and that upgrades will be complete by 2029.