Washington Gas, Honeywell to Build Cogeneration Plant for GSA
The U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) selected Washington Gas and Honeywell to jointly design, install and maintain a central utility and cogeneration plant and distribution system at St. Elizabeths West Campus in Washington, D.C.
The plant will meet up to 30 percent of the peak energy demand for the campus, which will serve as the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) headquarters as well as its agencies: the U.S. Coast Guard; Federal Emergency Management Agency; Immigration and Customs Enforcement; Customs and Border Protection and Transportation Security Administration.
The central plant will give GSA the flexibility to support the energy needs of DHS through onsite generation that will deliver nearly 25 megawatts of electricity for the 4.5-million-square-foot campus that is scheduled to be completed by 2016. The plant and distribution systems will provide thermal utilities; chilled and hot water; electrical services; and normal and emergency power for DHS and its agencies.
'It is our intent to make the DHS headquarters a showcase of energy efficiency and sustainability,' said Harry Debes, GSA project executive for St. Elizabeths. 'The cogeneration plant is a key feature in helping achieve this goal. It will also allow DHS to produce power and keep key facilities and equipment running independently of the local grid, providing the campus a measure of energy security.'
The new plant is expected to reduce emissions by more than 50,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent. According to figures from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), this is comparable to removing nearly 10,000 cars from the road.
GSA selected Washington Gas and Honeywell after a competitive evaluation in accordance with the Utility Energy Services Contract (UESC) process and the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 requirements.