The Port of San Diego Board of Port Commissioners has approved an Option to Lease Agreement and authorised a Coastal Development Permit for a new bulk sugar handling and storage facility at the Tenth Avenue Marine Terminal.
California Sugar Equipment LLC proposes to develop a Zucarmex facility capable of importing up to 280,000 metric tonnes of raw sugar annually into San Diego.
The project is distinguished by its environmental commitments, which align with the Port’s Maritime Clean Air Strategy. Zucarmex will be the first operator at the terminal to use exclusively electric Class 8 zero-emission semi-trucks to transport raw sugar from the terminal to the company’s existing Otay Mesa processing facilities, eliminating approximately 1,000 diesel truck loads per month from terminal operations.
The facility will also incorporate a rooftop solar system on the warehouse to provide renewable power for onsite truck charging, alongside best available control technologies for the conveyor system and bulk discharge unloader, ensuring a minimum of 95% particulate emission control.
Ann Moore, Chair of the Port of San Diego Board of Port Commissioners, described the project as another first for the Port, highlighting the all-electric trucking operation as evidence that economic development and clean air objectives can be pursued simultaneously, consistent with the goals established under the Maritime Clean Air Strategy.
Richard Eastment, owners representative for Zucarmex and California Sugar Equipment LLC, characterised the lease agreement as a transformative milestone, positioning the company as an early adopter of clean energy and zero-emission technologies that will contribute meaningfully to a more sustainable future for the San Diego community.
The dry-bulk facility and associated operational improvements support the Port’s broader Tenth Avenue Marine Terminal Redevelopment Plan.
Alongside approval of the lease option and coastal permit, the Board adopted a third addendum to the plan’s Final Environmental Impact Report.
