Officials from Anniston Army Depot, the General Services Administration, TACOM Life Cycle Management Command, Alabama Power, the Army Office of Energy Initiatives and Mission and Installation Contracting Command initiated the first large-scale utilit...

ANNISTON ARMY DEPOT, Ala. -- A ground breaking ceremony was held here April 14, officially initiating construction on a solar array project.

The project is a collaboration between Anniston Army Depot; Alabama Power, a subsidiary of Southern Company; the Office of Energy Initiatives; the General Services Administration; U.S. Army Corps of Engineers; and Mission and Installation Contracting Command. It is expected to produce up to 10 megawatts of electricity.

According to the installation's Directorate of Public Works, enough energy will be produced to power between 1,600 and 2,100 homes.

"The Department of Defense has launched several initiatives to reduce its fossil fuel dependence by improving energy efficiency and shifting to renewable energy to meet operational and installation needs," said Depot Chief of Staff Phil Trued during the ceremony. "Today, Anniston Army Depot will take one more step to not only meet, but exceed the Army's goals of renewable energy while enhancing national security."

Strata Solar has been selected by Alabama Power to install the utility-scale solar project, a first for Alabama Power, at the depot.

Alabama Power is developing, financing, designing and installing the solar power structures. The power company will own, operate and maintain the large-scale renewable energy project.

APC has invested $50 million in constructing ANAD's project and a similar project at Fort Rucker, which is also scheduled to go online this year.

Energy generated by the project will flow back into APC's power grid.

The solar array will be a step toward energy security for the depot, which Richard Kidd, the deputy assistant Secretary of the Army for Energy and Sustainability, said is a driving factor behind renewable energy projects.

"We made a very deliberate decision to focus on mission and energy security," said Kidd. "The fact is, war is changing and our dependence on energy is a weakness our enemy will exploit."

While the power generated will not be enough to make the installation an energy island, it can power two of the depot's three power substations on a sunny day, according to Brian Freeman, a mechanical engineer for DPW.

The project is expected to be operational this fall.