Clark Energy Group Partners with U.S. Army to Transform Energy Security
FORT IRWIN, Ca. — Clark Energy Group in partnership with the Department of the Army and Acciona Solar Power today celebrated the launch of the largest solar energy project in Department of Defense history with the signing of a Memorandum of Agreement for an Enhanced Use Lease (EUL) at Fort Irwin in California.
Clark Energy Group Partners with U.S. Army to Transform Energy Security
Clark and Acciona Solar Power were selected earlier this year in a competitive qualifications process administered by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Baltimore District, Enhanced Use Leasing (EUL) program to develop a renewable energy project at the Army's Mojave Desert installation. The EUL leverages the power of private capital and expertise to fund installation operating costs in exchange for long-term leases of Army land. The project also enables the Army to address energy security issues at Fort Irwin, which is home to the Army's premier heavy maneuver Combat Training Center and NASA's Goldstone Deep Space Complex, at no additional cost to the taxpayer.
"With the start of this project, the Army is demonstrating how creative thinking will make it possible to achieve critical national priorities without increasing government spending. We are proud to begin work with the Department of the Army as they strive to transform Fort Irwin's energy security," said Francis Coen, managing director of Clark Energy Group. "Our partnership with the Army will address energy security vulnerabilities, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, help the Army to achieve numerous energy-related goals, and create local green jobs."
The project calls for development of more than 500 megawatts (MW) of solar power across multiple plants to be completed between 2013 and 2022. In total, the 21-square-mile complex will be capable of generating one billion kilowatt hours (kWh) annually of clean, non-polluting electricity.
The Secretary of the Army identified the Fort Irwin Solar EUL as a pilot project in October 2008 at the launching of the Senior Energy Council. Clark and Acciona Solar Power put together a plan for the Fort Irwin Solar EUL to be a 500-MW development that uses multiple solar energy technologies. However, future development potential may increase to 1,000 MW of electricity should sufficient demand and transmission line capacity exist.
The thirteen-year, $2 billion phased implementation holistically considers site characteristics, environmental constraints, available resources, current and future technologies, costs, access to transmission lines, and length of approval and connection processes at each stage of development.
"The Fort Irwin Solar EUL is an important component of the Department of the Army's goal to implement bold energy initiatives that lessen dependence on foreign sources of fuel and enhance stewardship of the nation's energy resources," said Mr. Jerry Hansen, Acting Assistant Secretary of the Army, Installations and the Environment, and the Army's Senior Energy Executive.
The EUL allows the private developer to lease up to 14,000 acres of the installation's land to develop the industrial-scale solar power complex. Over the next 90 days, Clark and Acciona Solar Power will begin rigorous environmental impact studies and reviews in accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA).
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About the Enhanced Use Leasing (EUL) Program
The Enhanced Use Leasing (EUL) Program is a relatively new tool in the military's arsenal providing an alternative to traditional approaches of acquiring, constructing or upgrading facilities. It provides a mechanism for the DoD to receive rent, in cash or in-kind services, by leveraging military assets that are in excess of the military's needs. The program is provided under the authority of Title 10, United States Code, Section 2667, as amended. For more information, visit http://eul.army.mil/.
About Clark Energy Group
Clark Energy Group is a full-service energy services company with a focus on energy efficiency, energy security, sustainability, and renewable energy generation. The firm provides turnkey energy solutions for government, residential, institutional, and commercial facilities. Selected in 2008 by the Department of Energy for a highly competitive $5 billion indefinite-delivery, indefinite-quantity Super Energy Savings Performance Contract (Super ESPC), Clark Energy Group is now helping federal agencies to achieve strategic national priorities like energy security and sustainability with privately-funded solutions that do not require government spending. Headquartered in Arlington, Va., Clark Energy Group is part of the Clark family of companies which includes Clark Realty Capital, a premier national real estate developer, and Clark Construction Group, one of the largest privately-held general contractors in the country. The firm already has a local presence at Fort Irwin as Clark affiliates financed, developed, built, and currently manage the privatized military family housing on the installation. For more information, visit www.clarkenergygroup.com.
About Acciona Solar Power
Acciona Solar Power is revolutionizing the development, construction, and operation of concentrating solar power (CSP) plants. Acciona Solar Power is a majority-owned affiliate of Acciona Energy North America Corporation, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Acciona Energia, a division of the international company Acciona SA, headquartered in Madrid, Spain. In 2005, Acciona Energy purchased a 55 percent stake in Solargenix and the joint venture became Acciona Solar Power in 2006. Acciona has completed over 6,000 MW of renewable energy projects around the world. It designs, develops and operates large-scale solar power plants, including the largest concentrating solar power plant to be completed in the world since 1991, Nevada Solar One (64 MW) in Boulder City, Nevada, and one of the world's largest solar photovoltaic plants in Amareleja, Portugal (46 MW). For more information, visit www.acciona.com.
About Fort Irwin
Fort Irwin is located approximately 37 miles northeast of Barstow, California in the High Mojave Desert midway between Las Vegas, Nev. and Los Angeles. The National Training Center (NTC), located at Fort Irwin, is the only instrumented training facility in the world that is suitable for force-on-force and live fire training of heavy brigade-sized military forces. The realistic training provided at the NTC assures soldiers are adequately prepared to protect and preserve US interests here and abroad. Each month, the NTC provides 4,000-5,000 Soldiers from other installations the essential training opportunities necessary to maintain and improve military readiness and promote national security. Fort Irwin is also home to NASA's Goldstone Deep Space Communications Complex, one of three facilities in the world that, together, provide an international network of antennas to track and communicate with space missions. A full media kit is located at www.clarkenergygroup.com/irwinpressconference.