| Office of Public Affairs U.S. Coast Guard |
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| Press Release |
Date: Nov. 13, 2007
Contact: Dottie Mitchell
Angela Hirsch |
RENEWABLE ENERGY PROJECT TO TAKE COAST GUARD YARD "OFF THE GRID"
WASHINGTON - The Coast Guard Yard in Baltimore, the service's only full-service shipyard, broke ground today on an alternative energy project that will take it "off the grid" for nearly all of its electric and steam power needs. The project is expected to yield the same reduction in greenhouse gases as removing 33,000 cars from the road annually.
The Yard will utilize methane gas piped from the nearby Quarantine Road Landfill, owned by the city of Baltimore, to produce electricity and steam for the next 15 years. This is a collaborative project between the Coast Guard, Baltimore City and AMERESCO Federal Solutions, Inc. of Knoxville, Tenn. Construction is expected to conclude in the fall of 2008.
"Protecting and preserving our environment is a core mission of the Coast Guard, so it's fitting that this renewable source of energy will soon provide the electricity needed to run the yard as the men and women there work tirelessly to renew and modernize the Coast Guard's fleet of ships and boats," said Coast Guard commandant Adm. Thad Allen.
The project is the largest renewable energy project in Coast Guard history and the first landfill gas co-generation plant in the State of Maryland. The initial project cost and future operations and maintenance expenses will be paid through the plant's annual energy savings.
"The Baltimore landfill gas project highlights the continuous effort of the Coast Guard to manage energy resources," said Daniel Gore of the Coast Guard energy program. "Since 1985 the Coast Guard has reduced energy consumption per square foot of building space by 27 percent. This project alone will remove up to four percent of the Coast Guard's total electricity consumption from the grid and place it on a renewable source."
The project will meet the renewable energy requirements of the Energy Policy Act of 2005 for the entire Department of Homeland Security through 2012. The bill mandated that, by 2009, five percent of electricity consumption for federal agencies be generated from a renewable source. When this electricity is produced on-site, double credit is received.
The landfill gas project will save the Yard an estimated $2 million in annual utility payments. The Yard will provide an annual utility payment of approximately $200,000 to the City of Baltimore for rights to the methane gas. In addition, the Coast Guard will pay for the construction and operation of a gas collection and processing system.
The Coast Guard Yard's primary role is to keep the service's fleet of cutters and small boats operationally ready. The 112-acre, 108-year old installation is also home to a dozen Coast Guard tenant commands and activities, including first responders for search and rescue, marine environmental protection, maritime law enforcement, maritime mobility, and homeland security missions.
"Coast Guard fleet operations worldwide are often the direct outcome of the experience and skilled craftsmanship of the Yard and its tenant commands," said Capt. Stephen Duca, commanding officer of the Coast Guard Yard. "With the independent energy source and power generating capabilities this project will bring, the Yard will be able to meet its fleet support mission uninterrupted by the external power situation. Further, the entire Coast Guard community in Baltimore will have a base of operations from which to respond to natural and man-made disasters, freed from the constraints of the power grid."
The project will be executed through an Energy Savings Performance Contract with AMERESCO, an energy services company. Guaranteed energy savings by the contractor will be used to "pay back" the capital costs of the project.
The 126 acre Quarantine Road Sanitary Landfill is one of five solid waste disposal locations for use by the citizens of Baltimore City. Nearly 500,000 tons of residential and commercial waste are deposited annually at the location.
"This project will stabilize the Coast Guard Yard's energy costs for the next 15 years and possibly beyond, which is crucial in this time of rapidly escalating prices for traditional energy sources," said Cmdr. John Slaughter, the Yard's facility engineer. "The initiative also showcases the talents of the people at the Yard, the Coast Guard, the city of Baltimore, and our contractor to bring a project of this financial, engineering and environmental magnitude to reality."
Buried solid waste naturally decomposes and produces methane gas -- a fire hazard as well as a potent greenhouse gas contributing to global warming. While methane gas has significant negative environmental attributes in its natural state, it is a combustible gas and is a potentially valuable, renewable energy source.
Note to editors: Photos and video of the ceremony are available for download from http://cgvi.uscg.mil/. Interviews are available upon request.
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The U.S. Coast Guard is a military, maritime, multi-mission service within the
Department of Homeland Security dedicated to protecting the safety and security of America.
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