(credit: DFW)Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) was awarded a $35 million grant from the FAA and Department of Transportation to build a new zero carbon central utility plant.
The grant is part of a $1 billion bipartisan infrastructure law to fund improvements to airports across the US.
DFW is the first and largest carbon-neutral airport in the US. As part of reaching its goal of achieving net zero by 2030, DFW plans to construct a zero carbon electric central utility plant and replace its aging steam piping distribution system with a highly efficient hot water piping system. This addresses current and future heating and cooling demand, and improves resilience and maximizes efficiency.
“The implementation of this new Zero Carbon Electric Central Utility Plant is a key component to DFW reaching its 2030 goal of achieving net zero carbon,” said Robert Horton, vice president environmental affairs at DFW Airport.
Other sustainable projects that airports are implementing include Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, which will cut its Scope 1 and 2 emissions by increasing energy efficiency through transitioning to all-electric building systems, adding energy retrofits and using proactive maintenance as part of its 2035 sustainable management plan.
Last year, LaGuardia Airport’s Terminal B earned Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) v4 Gold certification from the US Green Building Council (USGBC), making it the first airline terminal in the world to achieve this certification. Valued at $5.1 billion, the Terminal B redevelopment project is the largest public-private partnership in US aviation history.
Additionally, a new feasibility study of the air cargo supply chain process at JFK International Airport makes a case for how a new, connected airport-wide Truck Flow Management System (TFMS) would improve cargo operations for truckers and airport personnel, and save time, money, and fuel. The study was conducted by Rutgers University’s Center for Advanced Infrastructure and Transportation (CAIT) and commissioned by GatewayJFK.
