U.S. Army Moving Fast on Renewables
Honeywell and Siemens are among 13 companies chosen by the Army Corps of Engineers to build biomass-fueled energy projects. Their selection completed the first round for all four technologies, including geothermal, solar, and wind companies.
The U.S. Army is on the move to achieve a congressionally required goal of obtaining 25 percent of its power generation from renewable sources by 2025. The Army Corps of Engineers recently selected 13 companies to design, build, operate, and maintain biomass-fueled energy projects at bases – completing the first round of awards for all four technologies (biomass, wind, solar, and geothermal).
The Army and Defense Department will buy the power these projects generate and have a total of $7 billion for this Multiple Award Task Order Contracts (MATOC) program. The companies that received biomass contracts are: Acciona Energy North America Corporation, Chicago; ECC Renewables, LLC, Burlingame, Calif.; EDF Renewable Energy, San Diego; Emerald Infrastructure, San Antonio; Energy Answers International, Inc., Albany, N.Y.; EIF United States Power Fund IV, L.P., Needham, Mass.; Energy Management, Inc., Boston; Energy Systems Group, LLC, Newburgh, Ind.; Honeywell International, Inc., Golden Valley, Minn.; MidAmerican/Clark JV, Bethesda, Md.; Pacolet Milliken Enterprises, Inc., Spartanburg, S.C.; Siemens Government Technologies, Inc., Arlington, Va.; and Stronghold Engineering, Inc., Riverside, Calif.
"We look forward to continuing to build strong relationships with industry and our defense communities, which will help us remain a strong Army," Katherine Hammack, assistant secretary of the Army for installations, energy, and environment, said recently. "We are making this announcement just as we are about to kick off October Energy Awareness = Action Month. During the month, we will recognize our outstanding partnerships with industry, promote energy leadership, uphold examples of innovation and excellence which enhance our mission capabilities, and advance a secure energy future."
According to the Army, MATOC involves third-party financed renewable energy acquisitions and involves no Army or DoD capita, or Military Construction appropriation. The Army and DOD only buy the power from contractors who own, operate, or maintain the generating assets. The estimated value of $7 billion refers to the total dollar value of energy available for purchase under all Power Purchase Agreement task orders for their entire term of up to 30 years.