News Release
FOR RELEASE - February 11, 2015
Contact: Aaron Ellis, Public Affairs Director, aellis@aapa-ports.org
(703) 684-5700
American Association of Port Authorities
Phone: (202) 792-4033
www.aapa-ports.org
For the first time, the American Association of Port Authorities (AAPA) is sponsoring a program for port and maritime industry professionals that will focus exclusively on the benefits and challenges of investing in various types of energy projects. AAPA’s Maritime Economic Development Energy Projects Seminar, being held in Pensacola, Fla., Feb. 24-25, and hosted by the Port of Pensacola, will review new and emerging energy technologies, and reveal opportunities for collaboration and cooperation for various energy-handling systems.
“From handling components for producing electricity from wind, water, solar and other renewable energy types, to handling non-renewable energy exports like coal, propane and natural gas, to developing export facilities for emerging fuels such as LNG, butane and methane, ports are front and center in the energy equation,” said Kurt Nagle, AAPA’s president and CEO.
During the conference, presenters will overview the energy industry today and feature case studies on renewable and non-renewable energy projects at ports. They will also address the benefits of strategic alliances, and how coordination and collaboration between ports, communities and regions may help energy-handling projects succeed. Additionally, industry experts will discuss energy projects that are considered “hot” and some of the tools port officials can use to assess the bottom line financial and environmental impacts of investing in different energy modes and export facilities.
According to Amy Miller, Port of Pensacola’s port director, energy sector-related commerce is quickly becoming one of her port’s primary business lines. “There’s so much opportunity in this sector for ports of all sizes to find niches that diversify their business portfolio but which also are a good fit for their communities, just as we’ve done,” she said. “We look forward to welcoming the port and maritime industry to Pensacola for these two days of education, dialog and experience-sharing on this important topic.”
In addition to the business portion of the energy projects seminar, the Port of Pensacola will provide a tour of two of its energy-related tenant’s facilities: GE Wind Energy's assembly plant, which is one of the world's leading suppliers of 1.5 megawatt generators, and; DeepFlex, a new facility that manufactures and tests flexible, deep sea piping for use in the global oil and gas industry.
For more information about AAPA’s Maritime Economic Development Energy Projects Seminar, click here. For the seminar meeting agenda, click here.
| WHO: | Produced and sponsored by the American Association of Port Authorities, hosted and co-sponsored by the Port of Pensacola, with additional sponsorships from PowerSecure Solar, a North Carolina-based sustainable energy company, and Atkins North America, a Florida-based design, engineering and project management consultancy. |
| WHAT: | AAPA’s 2015 Maritime Economic Development Energy Projects Seminar, which is focused exclusively on energy-related projects at seaports. |
| WHEN: |
Feb. 24-25, 2015. Feb. 24: 8:15 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.; Feb. 25: 8:30 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. (with the Port of Pensacola’s energy facilities tour from noon – 4:00 p.m.) |
| WHERE: | Hilton Pensacola Beach Gulf Front, 12 Via de Luna Drive, Pensacola Beach, FL 32561 |
| MEDIA: |
Credentialed journalists interested in covering AAPA’s Maritime Economic Development Energy Projects Seminar business agenda for media purposes are asked to contact Aaron Ellis, aellis@aapa-ports.org, to obtain a media badge. |
