Houston Terminal moves toward carbon neutrality with first electric reach stacker

Houston Terminal is charting a new course in its stevedoring operations with the deployment of a SANY Electric Reach Stacker at the Port of Houston. The equipment purchase, supported by a Texas Emissions Reduction Plan (TERP) grant, marks a first step in the operator’s plan to reduce emissions as part of its goal to ultimately achieve carbon neutrality.

Operating at the Bayport and Barbours Cut terminals, Houston Terminal is the largest stevedoring entity at the Port of Houston, completing more than a million container lifts annually. The new electric reach stacker provides the same lifting capacity as traditional diesel versions but operates without an internal combustion engine. Running on a rechargeable lithium iron phosphate battery, it emits no exhaust and requires far less maintenance. Houston Terminal will benefit from lower operating costs, fewer breakdowns, and improved uptime for heavy‑lift operations.

Houston Terminal regards electrification as a long-term strategy to meet international sustainability expectations from shipping companies that are subject to regulatory requirements from the International Maritime Organization and the European Union.

While the power grid remains a constraint for large-scale electrification, Houston Terminal is already preparing for the next stage of its transition. The company intends to apply for another TERP grant in 2026 to add a second electric reach stacker to continue modernizing its fleet.

_{Photo credit: Equipment Depot | SANY}