The Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) Energy, in coordination with the U.S. Army Office of Energy Initiatives (OEI) and Fort Hood, Texas, issued a notice of intent to award (NOIA) to Apex Clean Energy for a large-scale renewable energy solar and wind project at Fort Hood, Texas.
Although the NOIA does not constitute a formal contract award, this step moves the project closer to construction and production. According to APEX, this is the first hybrid off-base wind/on-base solar project for the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) and the Army.
Apex's hybrid project will feature 50.6 MW of wind energy from the Cotton Plains Wind energy facility in Floyd County, Texas and 15 MW AC Solar on-site at Fort Hood. Additional project details will be provided upon announcement of a final Contract Award with DLA and the OEI. Apex anticipates Cotton Plains to be operational in 2016.
The hybrid solar-wind energy project will be sized to optimize solar energy produced on-site at Fort Hood and wind energy produced at the company's Cotton Plains Wind energy facility in Floyd County.
In its proposal, Apex noted that it expects to partner with two service-disabled veteran-owned small businesses in the development and construction of the project: Tennessee Valley Infrastructure Group (TVIG) and American Helios Constructors. If the project moves forward as planned, TVIG will serve as the balance-of-plant contractor on the wind energy component project, and American Helios Constructors will support partner Phoenix Solar on the construction of the solar component of the project.
The Army's request-for-proposal was open, Apex notes, and was not tied to DOD's massive $7 billion multiple award task order contracts of 2013.
‘We're excited to partner with Apex Clean Energy in this first-of-its-kind hybrid project,’ says Katherine Hammack, assistant secretary of the Army for installations, energy and environment. ‘Solar energy at Fort Hood will provide energy surety, and the off-site wind turbines provide inexpensive, clean wind energy.’
