Holland Energy Park Earns Envision® Platinum Award

HOLLAND, Mich., July 19, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Holland Energy Park recently received the Institute for Sustainable Infrastructure's (ISI) Envision Platinum award recognizing the sustainability of public infrastructure. Holland Energy Park is the first-in-the-county base load power generating plant to receive an Envision rating. The Holland Board of Public Works created the Holland Energy Park to be a reliable power resource for the Holland community that is socially, economically and environmentally responsible.

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"Our community set out to make the Holland Energy Park a benchmark for sustainable infrastructure development," said Dave Koster, general manager of the Holland Board of Public Works. "We're deeply gratified to have earned the Envision Platinum recognition from ISI, because it validates the sustainable, reliable and affordable power generation we've built to serve our community for decades to come."

Envision is a verification process specifically designed to rate the sustainability of infrastructure. The process measures five categories: Quality of Life, Leadership, Natural World, Resource Allocation, and Climate and Risk. The categories measure the positive social, economic and environmental impacts in a community throughout the planning, design and construction of infrastructure projects. 

Holland Energy Park was designed in coordination with Envision requirements and the City of Holland's long-range Community Energy Plan, a 40-year plan to become a world-class leader in energy security, affordability, sustainability and efficiency.

The HEP fulfills three core functions:  to be a world-class resource that provides a sustainable and long-term energy source and an educational hub; to be a destination that provides activities for the public to connect the community; and also to be a gateway-enhancing eastern access into the City of Holland.

"Holland Energy Park is the product of over a decade of thoughtful planning and community engagement to provide responsible, sustainable energy for Holland," said Koster. "We are proud that through strenuous efforts Holland Energy Park earned ISI's highest recognition level." 

When fully operational, the $240-million Holland Energy Park will feature:

• a modern building design that creates an eastern gateway to the City of Holland.
• a 50% reduction in carbon emissions and the virtual elimination of solid particle pollutants.
• double the fuel efficiency of Holland's present power generation.
• open, public space connecting Windmill Island Gardens to the Macatawa Greenway trail system.
• an expansion of Holland's innovative snowmelt system.
• the latest combined-cycle natural gas generating technology, producing up to 145 megawatts of power to meet the needs of a growing community.

About Holland Board of Public Works

The Holland Board of Public Works (HBPW) is a community-owned enterprise providing electric generation and distribution, water, wastewater treatment and broadband utility services to nearly 28,000 business and residential customers in the Holland area. HBPW is committed to enhancing the economic and environmental vitality of the community, providing reliable services at the lowest rates achievable through innovation, efficiency and professional operations. www.P21decision.com

Contact:
Chris Van Dokkumburg
616-355-1661
Email

SOURCE Holland Board of Public Works