Ports of Auckland will adopt LED floodlighting over the next two years, becoming the first New Zealand port to do so.

“We operate all day, every day, in all kinds of weather,” said Tony Gibson, CEO of Ports of Auckland [right in photo]. “Having good floodlighting is an essential part of our business – but it’s also a big part of our energy bill. We’ve wanted to use LED floodlighting for some time, but the power and reliability hasn’t been up to what we need in the harsh port environment. Until now. We can’t wait to demonstrate the effectiveness of LED floodlighting at our port. This is a very exciting project and it really is just the start of what we hope to achieve through new technology.”

According to the port, the first stage of the project will involve the general cargo area, while the second stage will cover the container terminal and will coincide with the introduction of automation. Stage One is expected to save 1.17 gigawatts hours of electricity.

Other benefits of LEDs include the ability to be dimmed and turned on and off quickly, as well as a longer design life.

Ports of Auckland is working together with New Zealand’s Energy Efficiency & Conservation Authority, with which it signed a collaboration agreement to reduce the port’s total energy consumption by at least 2 gigawatt hours by the end of 2019.

“This energy efficiency work will see Ports of Auckland save money and reduce health and safety risks,” said Andrew Caseley, chief executive of the EECA [left in photo]. “It’s a win for the company and it is good for New Zealand.”