Army seeks partnerships for $7B in alternative-energy projects
The Army is looking for contracting partners to help it create up to $7 billion in renewable and alternative energy sources to power the military branch's installations and will soon hold a meeting with industry to discuss the projects.
The release of a draft request for proposals under the Multiple Award Order Contract (MATOC) could signal the green light for dozens of projects to begin across the U.S., according to a March 19 Army news release.
The request, from the Army Corps of Engineers, calls on industry to find alternative energy solutions using wind, biomass, solar and geothermal.
The investment will help the Army reach its goal of having 25 percent of its energy come from renewable sources by 2025, according to the release. Its goal is a net-zero installation, a strategy that produces as much energy as it uses.
In return for private sector building on the bases, "the Army would be a guaranteed buyer of the power it produces under a preliminary solicitation the service just issued," reports Federal News Radio.
In October 2011, Washington Technology reported that the Defense Department announced it wanted private industry to spend big bucks on alternative-energy resources for Army installations and that it had created a team to complete the task.
The new Energy Initiatives Task Force’s role is to persuade businesses to invest up to $7 billion in the large-scale renewable-energy projects.
The newly designed MATOC is a two-step process that requires developers to submit non-specific project proposals first and then the task force will dole out the task orders using that information.
"The EITF was tasked to develop a process that is clear, consistent and transparent so that we can provide the private sector with a consistent environment to engage with the Army which will allow EITF projects to maximize return on investments for both the Army and industry," Katherine Hammack, assistant secretary of the Army for Installations, Energy & Environment, said in the release.
EITF will hold a meeting in May with companies to discuss the renewable-energy project guide, which is to be released later this spring.
Industry has until March 24 to comment on the Army's RFP.
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Alysha Sideman is the online content producer for Washington Technology.