Oakland Airport To Add Electric Charging Stations

OAKLAND, CA — Oakland International Airport officials say a $3.2 million grant from the Federal Aviation Administration will help them build 25 electric charging stations to help them reduce their carbon footprint.

Airport officials said they will provide electrical infrastructure to support the purchase and installation of the dual-port, common-use electric charging stations for electric-powered ground service equipment with the grant funds, which were announced on Wednesday.

They said the improvements will take place at the airport's Terminal 1 ramp, supporting its use of charging stations instead of conventional fuel.

"I am pleased that Oakland International Airport has been awarded this critical funding to continue its work to improve its infrastructure and ensure that the highest air quality is provided to its passengers, workers, and the entire East Bay community," Rep. Barbara Lee, D-Oakland, said in a statement.

Bryant Francis, the Port of Oakland's Director of Aviation, said, "We are so pleased to have the support of our airline partners as we work to reduce the airport's carbon footprint."

Francis said, "As the Oakland International Airport continues to increase in passengers and destinations, and improve our terminal facilities, this grant will allow us to grow with care. We are improving air quality for
our community and making a positive step forward in contributing to worker health and safety."

Airport officials said the new charging stations will primarily be used for ground operations associated with Southwest Airlines, American Airlines, JetBlue, Norwegian, Volaris, Allegiant, Azores, LEVEL, and British
Airways.

They said those airlines and their respective ground handling agents have committed to converting a portion of their ground service equipment fleet to electric charging.

The airport's Terminal 2 has had similar electric charging infrastructure in place at all of its 13 gates since 2007. Airport officials said the new funding will bring similar infrastructure to the 16 gates in Terminal 1.

Airport officials said they anticipate that construction for the electric charging stations will begin in December 2017 and the new infrastructure would go into use by August 2018.

The grant is from the Federal Aviation Agency's airport improvement program, which allocates federal funding to U.S. airports and this year is paying for infrastructure improvements at 67 airports in 29
states.

The discretionary funds for the Oakland International Airport will be awarded in the form of a volunteer airport low emissions grant.

— Bay City News; Image via Shutterstock

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