NS&D Monitor
6/20/2014
Wind Farm Project Completed
Officials from the National Nuclear Security Administration, the Department of Energy, Siemens Government Technologies Inc. and Pantex Plant M&O contractor B&W Pantex this week officially launched the Pantex Renewable Energy Project (PREP), a wind farm that is expected to generate roughly 60 percent of the plant’s yearly energy needs. With a flip of a switch, the last of five Siemens turbines began slowly spinning, generating power to the Pantex Plant.
Officials from Washington, Tennessee and Texas turned out for the project’s official ribbon-cutting June 17 at the new wind farm, which is located east of the plant’s main gate. The five 2.3 megawatt Siemens turbines are expected to reap $2.8 million in annual energy savings at Pantex. Each year, the farm is expected to generate 47 million kilowatt hours of electricity, enough to power nearly 3,500 homes, NNSA officials said. The wind farm is expected to remove 35,000 metric tons of yearly carbon dioxide emissions from the air, the equivalent of taking 7,200 cars off the road each year or planting 850,000 trees, helping the NNSA meet the administration’s clean energy objectives.
Energy Savings Will Pay for Project
Last year, the NNSA awarded a contract to Siemens Government Technologies Inc. to construct and operate the farm, the federal government’s largest. Under the contract, taxpayers won’t shell out any money for the project and government payments to the company will come from the value of guaranteed energy savings generated from the farm. “The ability to operate and to reduce the cost of operating Pantex and saving on energy, particularly clean renewable energy, is a big positive step,” NNSA Administrator Frank Klotz said during his first visit to Pantex as the agency’s top official. “Given the topography, given the wind, this is a great place to have our first effort.”
Steve Erhart, manager of the NNSA Production Office, praised the many people involved in the project and singled out Johnnie Guelker, a former top Pantex official, as one of the driving forces behind PREP. “We started this journey about six years ago and there were times when we were not sure this day would ever come,” he said. “Our team faced many challenges, considered many options and ultimately found the solution that enabled us to move forward.”
Savings Will Be Reapplied to Infrastructure Improvements
Judy Marks, CEO of Siemens Government Technologies, said the project was completed a few days ahead of schedule. ”This is a first in the NNSA enterprise,” Marks said. “We used an energy performance contract here where the cost of the project is actually funded by the energy savings that we at Siemens are guaranteeing and will enable Pantex to advance President Obama’s vision for energy stewardship at federal facilities and meet nearly all of your renewable energy goals.”
Erhart said cost savings from the project could help ease the tight funding situation for sites such as Pantex. Siemens, he said, also acquired third party financing for the project. “Any savings we can get, the first thing we want to do is apply it to infrastructure improvements and then do our part to save money for the entire NNSA,” he said.
Marks said the project also will create renewable energy credits that can be used elsewhere across the complex. “I believe we can bank those credits. How that will be spread out I’m not sure,” Erhart said. Russell Thomasson, associate vice chancellor of Texas Tech University, said the project marks the beginning of a collaboration between the university, the NNSA and Siemens to further explore the boundaries of wind energy science research. “When the world looks to doing innovative research in wind science, they look to Texas Tech University,” he said. “You’ve heard of Silicon Valley. Let’s start thinking about how we’re going to make a Silicon Prairie happen out here in West Texas.”
