Potential solar project developers at the Department of Energy’s Savannah River Site in South Carolina should file an application to interconnect to the electric grid by Aug. 30, according to a slide presentation on the government’s clean power initiative.
The federal government envisions Savannah River operating on 100% carbon-free electricity by 2037, according to DOE’s recently-published slide presentation. The DOE slides are from the Feb. 29 information day for the site’s Cleanup to Clean Energy program and included in materials with an April 4 notice in the System for Award Management (SAM.gov). Currently about 47% of the electric power used by the federal nuclear installation near Aiken, S.C., is carbon-emitting.
DOE has issued a request for qualifications for potential solar power developers at Savannah River. DOE hopes to select its first round of clean power awards at nuclear cleanup sites this fiscal year.
Developers must arrange financing, order large components, obtain necessary environmental permits, negotiate power purchase agreements and draft a decommissioning plan, according to the slides.
Solar power development at the site will entail interaction with not just DOE, but other federal and state agencies, including the South Carolina Public Service Commission, according to the DOE slides. Complying with provisions of the National Environmental Policy Act will likely take one-to-two years — depending on whether the developer needs an environmental assessment, or the full-blown environmental impact statement.
