Hecate Energy, Chicago, was selected as the developer of up to 1,000 megawatts of solar power at the Department of Energy’s Hanford Site in Washington state, DOE said Thursday.
Hecate will now enter into realty negotiations with DOE for the right to develop the solar power project within 8,000 acres of buffer area at the nuclear cleanup site, according to a press release.
The development is part of DOE’s Cleanup to Clean Energy program, the agency said in a press release.
According to its website, Hecate has dozens of solar or battery storage projects in operation or development across the nation.
Cleanup to Clean Energy focuses on using nuclear sites for non-carbon-emitting energy generation and is meant to help President Joe Biden’s administration implement executive order 14057. The order calls for federal installation to slash greenhouse gas emissions and seeks to have federal properties using about 100% carbon-free power by 2030.
“With today’s announcement, DOE is transforming thousands of acres of land at our Hanford Site into a thriving center of carbon-free solar power generation, leading by example in cleaning up our environment and delivering new economic opportunities to local communities,” Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm said in the press release.
DOE has already selected potential developers for solar projects at properties such as the Idaho National Laboratory and the Savannah River Site in South Carolina.
