The Los Angeles Board of Airport Commissioners (BOAC) on Aug. 18, awarded a $6,189,678 contract to Taft Electric Company, Ventura, Calif., to construct the aircraft parking Remain Overnight (RON) West Electrification Project at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX). The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) recently awarded a Volunteer Airport Low Emissions (VALE) Program grant to finance up to 75 percent of the project’s $5.3-million eligible costs.
“Moving forward with the RON West project is just one example of LAX’s strong commitment to environmental sustainability and reducing emissions,” said BOAC President Sean Burton. “Our voluntary efforts are redefining expectations and setting a new bar for airports across the nation.”
“This project, partially funded by a VALE award, demonstrates our commitment to social responsibility and sustainability,” said LAWA Chief Executive Officer Deborah Flint. “Our team has been making true advances, and our culture is adapting and changing and continuing to push forward on these elements of our mission.”
The RON West Electrification project will install nine 400-mhz electrical Ground Power Units (GPUs) at aircraft parking slots located on the west side of LAX, as well as electrical infrastructure for future installations. These electric GPUs will allow aircraft parked at these slots to draw power from the airport’s electrical grid instead of using their own onboard Auxiliary Power Unit (APU) or diesel GPU, which both produce emissions and noise.
The VALE Program is available to commercial airports located in compromised air quality areas as designated by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Airports can obtain VALE funding for cleaner technology that the FAA considers cost effective. VALE projects also receive emission reduction credits from state governments, which the airports can use to meet future environmental obligations under the Clean Air Act.
The U.S. Congress created the Voluntary Airport Low Emission Program in 2004 to help airport sponsors meet their state-related air-quality responsibilities under the Clean Air Act. It is funded through the FAA’s Airport Improvement Program (AIP) and Passenger Facility Charges (PFC).
