Barstow, Calif. (June 6, 2013)--More than 170 representatives of the energy industry descended on Barstow, Calif., to meet with representatives from Fort Irwin, Defense Logistics Agency Energy (DLA) and the Army's Energy Initiatives Task Force (EITF) to discuss a recently released Request for Proposals (RFP) on a renewable energy project at Fort Irwin, Calif.
"The primary purpose of today's event is to answer any questions interested members of the renewable energy industry may have regarding this RFP and to take prospective bidders out to the proposed site for the project," said Alan King, director of project execution for EITF.
DLA Energy, in close coordination with the EITF, released an RFP to procure solar energy from a photovoltaic (PV) system located near Fort Irwin's front gate. The government estimates the size of the system at 15 megawatts (MW), subject to final specification by the selected developer. The solicitation, SP0600-13-R-0412, is posted on the Federal Business Opportunities website at www.fbo.gov. All interested companies are encouraged to prepare a response to the solicitation, which closes on August 1, 2013.
This RFP outlines a Fort Irwin requirement to procure renewable energy through a Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) for up to 25 years. The selected contractor will finance, design, build, operate, own and maintain the PV system. Under the PPA, the Army will only purchase the energy that is produced; no generation assets will be acquired.
"This is the most interest we've seen from the development community for a pre-proposal event," King said. "This and several other projects we've launched in the last six months reinforce the key role the EITF plays in supporting U.S. Army installations with secure and reliable renewable energy."
The Secretary of the Army established the EITF in September 2011 to help the Army improve its energy security, and achieve the goal outlined in the National Defense Authorization Act of 2007 for acquiring 25 percent of its installation energy from renewable sources. The EITF serves as the central management office for partnering with Army installations to implement cost-effective, large-scale renewable energy projects to achieve these goals.
The goal was further refined in a joint announcement from the White House and Department of Defense for the Armed Services to achieve a total of 3 gigawatts (GW) of power generated from renewable sources by 2025, the Army's portion of the goal being 1 GW.
"Fort Irwin is pleased to finally have a positive step forward in meeting our renewable energy goals and to further enhance the energy security of the National Training Center," said Muhammad Bari, director of public works at U.S. Army Garrison Fort Irwin. "We are proud to be working together with the EITF on this project."
To date, the EITF has screened over 180 Army installations (Active, Guard and Reserve) to identify sites that have the best potential for large-scale renewable energy development of 10 megawatts or greater.
Including this RFP for Fort Irwin, the EITF has worked with DLA Energy and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Engineering and Support Center-Huntsville on the release of three other RFPs. Two RFPs were released through DLA Energy, one for a 15MW PV system at Fort Detrick, Md., and another for a 28MW biomass generation facility at Fort Drum, New York. A third RFP was released to El Paso Electric through USACE-Huntsville for a 20MW solar PV system at Fort Bliss, Texas.
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Assistant Secretary of the Army (Installations, Energy and Environment)
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