VIP begins 2023 by getting all of its operational power needs from clean-energy resources

Agreement with energy provider specifies power will come from clean sources

Virginia Inland Port (VIP) is fulfilling all of its operational electricity needs from clean-energy resources and in doing so moves The Port of Virginia® forward with its goal of reducing emissions and becoming carbon-neutral by 2040.

The inland port gets its power from Rappahannock Electric Cooperative and through a new agreement the cooperative will provide clean electricity to VIP from Virginia-based solar installations. The clean energy began flowing on Jan. 1; VIP is the first of the port’s six general cargo terminals to get 100 percent of its electricity from renewable sources.

The move to renewable energy is part of the overall expansion and modernization of VIP. This year work begins on a $15 million capacity expansion that will create more capacity and efficiency. When the work is complete, the terminal will retire straddle carriers and begin using rubber-tire gantry cranes to move containers from railcars to trucks.

The port is already sourcing some of its electricity for cargo operations at its terminals in the Norfolk Harbor from renewable sources. By 2024, the port will fulfill all of its electricity needs at its marine terminals from renewable recourses, well ahead of the original 2032 “SCOPE 2” deadline.

Scope 2 emissions are indirect greenhouse gas emissions associated with the purchase of electricity, steam, heat, or cooling.

The port’s 2040 carbon neutrality goal focuses on protecting local communities and the environment through fundamental changes in how the port operates.