Equipment Offloaded at Port of San Diego for Geothermal Energy Facility

Tuesday, 05 April 2011
Contact: Dale Frost (619) 686-6461

A shipment of boilers and drums for upgrades to the El Centro Power Plant were offloaded on April 2 and 3, 2011, at the Port of San Diego's Tenth Avenue Marine Terminal.

Longshore workers offloaded the large and heavy equipment, which in total weighed more than 1,000 tons, from the Nordana shipping line’s vessel Marselisborg.

The eight boilers and five boxes of accompanying equipment will be trucked this month from the terminal to the El Centro Power Plant, a geothermal energy facility.

The products were manufactured in Thailand by Vogt Power International.

“The Tenth Avenue Marine Terminal is becoming a hub for receiving cargo components related to alternative energy projects across California,” said Miguel Reyes, Maritime Trade Manager for the Port of San Diego.

Alternative energy components from Vietnam and Japan have also recently been offloaded at the 96-acre terminal. Inbound cargo shipments have included wind blades and rotors for windmill towers.

These specialty cargoes support projects throughout California and the U.S. western region that diversify energy sources that have less impact on the environment through the creation of wind, solar and geothermal operations.

“The Port of San Diego is in a key position to handle more alternative energy shipments due to our proximity to the Far East,” said Reyes.

At the Tenth Avenue Marine Terminal, the Port processes a variety of specialized cargo, including regularly scheduled imports of fresh and frozen produce, fuel and commodities, such as transformers and steel products.

Commodities for regional construction projects that are imported through the Tenth Avenue Marine Terminal include steel shipments—some of which were used to construct the San Diego Convention Center and Petco Park. Also handled are cargoes such as engines for vessels being built at nearby National Steel and Shipbuilding Company (NASSCO) and oversize public works pipes for the Escondido area.

Primary import cargoes at the National City Marine Terminal are automobiles and lumber.