The Department of Energy on Wednesday issued a draft call for companies interested in generating carbon-free electricity on unused land at the Hanford Site in Washington state to submit their qualifications.
DOE released the draft request for qualifications (RFQ) Wednesday for parties interested in some type of lease or easement at the former plutonium production complex in Eastern Washington. Written comments are due Feb. 5. The final RFQ for Hanford will not be released before the end of February, DOE said in the notice.
It is the first step in the agency’s broader drive to generate carbon-free electricity at former nuclear weapon production sites.
DOE has roughly 19,000 contiguous acres of land within the southern industrial area of the Hanford Site available for power generation, according to the 49-page draft. DOE wants information on company qualifications for installation, maintenance, and operation of such projects.
In September, Hanford became the first Environmental Management site to hold an industry day about potential solar or other carbon-free power projects that could generate 200 megawatts or more of electricity.
It is all part of DOE’s Cleanup to Clean Energy effort, kicked off in July by Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm as part of a White House initiative to have federal installations using the equivalent of 100% carbon-free power by 2030.
