Army releases request for proposals for combined heat and power project at Redstone Arsenal

HUNTSVILLE, Ala., Oct. 24, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Engineering and Support Center, Huntsville today released a request for proposals for a 25MW Combined Heat and Power (CHP) renewable energy project at Redstone Arsenal, Alabama.

The Redstone Arsenal project is a 30-year Power Purchase Agreement, whereby the Army offers to purchase the on-site generated renewable steam and electricity for up to 30 years in accordance with the terms and conditions stipulated in the resulting contract. The contractor will finance, design, build, operate, own and maintain the CHP renewable energy generation facility.

In coordination with the U.S. Army Office of Energy Initiatives (OEI), the Engineering and Support Center, Huntsville, is managing this renewable energy generation opportunity. The project will bring the Army closer to its commitment to deploy one gigawatt of renewable energy generation by 2025.

The solicitation for the Redstone Arsenal Combined Heat and Power Renewable Energy Service Agreement was posted today to the Federal Business Opportunities website at www.fbo.gov. A Notice of Intent to Award is expected in summer of 2015.

"We are excited to issue this solicitation to support the Army's energy and sustainability goals," said Tonju Butler, the procuring contracting officer with the Huntsville Center. 

This contract will support the OEI in its efforts to plan and execute a cost-effective portfolio of large-scale renewable energy projects on Army installations by leveraging private sector financing. The Army's development of large-scale renewable energy projects will help enhance energy security while supporting the Department of Defense's energy goals. Energy security and sustainability are operationally necessary, financially prudent and mission critical.

Redstone Arsenal Garrison Commander Col. Bill Marks said earlier this year that, "The April 27, 2011, tornado outbreak in Alabama changed our understanding of how resilient our systems were. Due to separate tornadoes that destroyed parts of the regional Tennessee Valley Authority distribution network, power transportation lines to the arsenal went down. This occurred at the same time several installation organizations were providing real time support to astronauts at work in space on the shuttle and space station, and to our deployed Warfighters."

Through this project, Redstone Arsenal will become more resilient by enabling the installation to rely less on the existing power grid. Renewable energy produced on Army installations increases energy security, enhances mission effectiveness, and provides a means to temper rising energy costs.

Contact:
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SOURCE U.S. Army Corps of Engineers