October 15, 2009

Fort Irwin, CA, USA: U.S. Army Selects ACCIONA for 500MW Solar Power Project

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has selected the team of ACCIONA Solar Power and the Clark Energy Group to develop a large-scale solar energy project (the first phase, consisting of 5 sites that total 500 MW) at one of its most iconic installations: the Fort Irwin military complex, located in the Mojave Desert, California. The base is the U.S. Army’s largest training ground and also houses NASA’s Goldstone Deep Space Communications center. A memorandum of understanding was signed today by the Department of the Army, Fort Irwin and the joint venture created by ACCIONA Solar Power and Clark during a kick-off meeting celebrated at Fort Irwin.

The announcement follows a competitive bid process opened in March by the U.S. Army’s Senior Energy Council, a body created in October 2008 to accelerate and oversee a sustainable energy strategy aimed at finding alternative energy sources, obtaining increased energy savings and securing energy supplies for U.S. Army installations, personnel, vehicles and other assets. A federal mandate requires the U.S. Army to reduce its energy consumption by 30 percent by 2015 (compared to 2003) and to cover 25 percent of its energy needs with renewable energies by 2025.

The Fort Irwin project is part of the Army’s “Enhanced Use Leasing” (EUL) program, designed to allow private sector entities “to acquire and leverage value from under-utilized non-excess real estate assets on Army and select Department of Defense Installations.”

ACCIONA Solar Power and Clark Energy Group’s joint project will develop approximately 500 MW of solar power, a figure that could be increased to 1,000 MW at a later stage. The project will involve concentrating solar power (CSP) and photovoltaic technology and is the U.S. Department of Defense’s largest-ever solar project. To date, the 14 MW solar plant at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada, and the 2 MW installation at Fort Carson, Colorado, are the Department of Defense’s largest solar power generating plants.

The facilities will be installed at five sites – a total of 21 square miles – following selection for suitability by Army technicians.

The project is at an initial stage and studies are being carried out to identify the most suitable and efficient technological solutions. Construction will take place over a relatively long period of time and will be staggered in several phases: by 2014, the first site development should be sufficiently advanced to cover Fort Irwin’s total energy needs.

“To be selected for this project is an indication of the trust that one of the world’s most technologically advanced organizations places in ACCIONA’s ability to develop renewable projects. It also confirms our position as an active player in the U.S. clean energies market,” said Alberto de Miguel, development director, ACCIONA Energy.

“The Fort Irwin solar power project is an example of how the U.S. Army can lead the nation forward towards a future of energy security,” said Kevin Geiss, energy security program director, U.S. Army.

“Fort Irwin is proud to host this groundbreaking effort by the Department of the Army in partnership with Clark and ACCIONA Solar Power,” said Colonel Jim Chevalier, garrison commander, Fort Irwin. “The plant is the largest solar project in the state and it illustrates the commitment of Fort Irwin and the Army to incorporate environmental stewardship at all levels of operations.”

“Quite frankly, the Department of Defense was a little bit late coming to the topic of efficiency and renewables, but now it’s at the forefront,” said Richard Kidd, a high-ranking official at the U.S. Department of Energy, in a recent statement to The New York Times.

Further details about: ACCIONA Solar Power and Clark Energy Group