"Hydrogen" Ready for Action! Shandong Port's First Hydrogen-Energy Auxiliary Power System-Retrofit Reach Stacker Put into Operation, Reducing Carbon Emissions by Approximately 17 Tons Annually

A reporter from Xin Huanghe learned from Shandong Port Group that recently, Shandong Port's first container reach stacker retrofitted with a hydrogen energy auxiliary power system completed installation, commissioning, and was officially put into operation at the Weifang Port Area of Bohai Bay Port.

Diesel-powered reach stackers are high-energy-consuming mobile equipment at ports, with high energy consumption and operating costs as well as prominent carbon management pressures. The Weifang Port Area took hydrogen energy auxiliary power retrofitting as a key initiative and, after multiple rounds of research and feasibility studies, finalized the retrofit plan. The retrofitted reach stacker's original operational performance is unaffected, while also delivering multiple benefits including cost reduction, efficiency improvement, and carbon emission reduction. According to calculations, a single reach stacker retrofitted with hydrogen energy can save 35,000 yuan in fuel costs annually and reduce carbon emissions by approximately 17 tons per year. The stable production of this first unit fully demonstrates that hydrogen energy can be adapted to port mobile equipment operational scenarios, and that the retrofit technical route is feasible and highly practical. After the remaining three reach stackers of the same model at the port area are retrofitted, the entire project is expected to save over 100,000 yuan in comprehensive costs annually, with total annual carbon emission reductions reaching 51 tons, achieving simultaneous improvements in both economic and ecological benefits.

Next, Bohai Bay Port will systematically expand the coverage of hydrogen energy retrofits, continuously collect and organize operational data and implementation experience from both the oil-to-electricity and hydrogen retrofit routes, iteratively optimize clean energy usage plans, and drive the comprehensive transition of port mobile equipment toward electrification and clean energy, supporting the green and high-quality development of the port.

Meanwhile, leveraging a digital management platform, the port will enable real-time energy consumption monitoring and intelligent scheduling to further unlock energy-saving potential. By establishing standardized retrofit procedures and operation-and-maintenance systems, the port will lower technical barriers and maintenance costs, providing a replicable and scalable "Bohai Bay Model" for the green transformation of similar equipment in the industry. In the future, the port will deepen cooperation with upstream and downstream industry chain partners, explore multi-technology integration applications such as hydrogen-electricity hybrid and energy storage coordination, build a low-carbon smart port energy ecosystem, and contribute the port's strength to achieving the national "dual carbon" goals.