Naval Facilities Engineering Systems Command (NAVFAC) Southeast awarded a $14 million firm-fixed-price contract, Sept. 29, to Entergy Louisiana, LLC out of Jefferson, Louisiana, for a Utility Energy Service Contract (UESC) to bring energy upgrades to Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base (NAS JRB) New Orleans in Belle Chasse, Louisiana.
A UESC is a limited-source contract between a federal agency and its serving utility for energy efficiency improvements and demand reduction services.
“This project is great example of an integrated partnership between NAVFAC Southeast, Navy Region Southeast (NRSE), NAS JRB New Orleans, and our local energy provider, Entergy Louisiana,” said NAS JRB Public Works Officer Lt. Cmdr. Andres Espinosa. “The increased resiliency and lower sustainment costs that this project will achieve for our base’s utility systems will directly enable the installation to increase its support to the warfighter, and allow them to better achieve their mission.”
UESCs implement energy upgrades at federal installations using long term energy savings to pay for up-front costs, at no additional cost to taxpayers. NAS JRB New Orleans was awarded $105,000 from the 2912E fund to buy down this UESC. The 2912E fund was created utilizing excess savings from past UESCs Navy-wide.
The UESC calls for the design and installation of six Energy Conservation Measures (ECMs) throughout 86 facilities encompassing all areas of NAS JRB New Orleans. The ECMs include Energy Management Control System (EMCS) upgrades and interconnection at nine facilities; Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning (HVAC) equipment upgrades at one facility; interior and exterior lighting upgrades at 83 facilities; solar street lighting replacements; high-efficiency stepdown transformer replacements at 13 facilities; and water and sewer conservation upgrades at 33 facilities.
“Utility systems are one of the most cost-critical components of a military installation,” said NAS JRB Deputy Public Works Officer Steve Azzinari. “Being able to introduce new technology, higher resiliency and increased efficiency into our systems through the project’s six ECMs is a benefit that will be attained and realized for years to come.”
This project is projected to save nearly 16,000 MBtu (million British thermal unit) and 1,000 KGAL (thousand gallons) annually; equating to about $644,000 annually in combined electric energy, electric demand, natural gas, water, and maintenance savings.
“In today’s fiscal world of decreasing funding and limited resources, having to continue to operate, repair, and maintain our aged and less efficient utility systems is a cost impact that we have had to endure and work around these past years,” said Azzinari.
The project falls under 42 USC 8256 (The Energy Policy Act of 1992) and 10 USC 2913 (National Defense Authorization Act of 2007), which authorizes Department of Defense (DoD) agencies to partner with utilities and use appropriations, private financing, or a combination of both to utilize UESCs for the purpose of acquiring energy management services. The UESC contract vehicle is an essential tool assisting DOD agencies meet their energy reduction mandates set forth by 42 USC 8253 (Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007), 42 USC 8287 (Energy Act of 2020), and Executive Order 13693 14008 (Tackling the Climate Crisis at Home and Abroad).
Executive Order 14008 aims to put the United States on a path to achieve net-zero emissions, economy-wide, by no later than 2050 and a carbon pollution-free electricity sector no later than 2035.
Azzinari stated, “When completed, the UESC will enable our base to comply with Executive Order 13693 and allow us to effectively reduce the utility system costs that we have previously had to contend with.”
Project implementation is expected to be complete by March 2023.
| Date Taken: | 10.04.2021 |
| Date Posted: | 10.04.2021 13:58 |
| Story ID: | 406652 |
| Location: | JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA, US |
| Web Views: | 114 |
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