Biden-Harris Administration Announces Clean Energy Partnership

WASHINGTON, United States — The Biden-Harris administration announced its partnership to provide federal facilities in Virginia with 100% clean energy.

The Department of Defense announced its partnership with Dominion Energy Virginia to work jointly to achieve carbon pollution-free electricity.

“The Department of Defense is the largest consumer of energy in the federal government,” said Hon. Brendan Owens, assistant secretary of defense for energy, installations and environment, responsible for sustainable development. “As such, our relationships with our energy service providers are critically important. Working in partnership with Dominion Energy to ensure our installations are powered by resilient, reliable and clean electricity improves military readiness and strengthens the communities where our military and civilian teammates live.”

This is part of President Biden’s federal sustainability plan. In December 2021, President Biden released the Federal Sustainability Plan, which aims to achieve zero emissions by 2050 by transitioning to zero-emission vehicles, energy-efficient buildings, and electricity without carbon pollution .

“To achieve the goal of resilient, reliable, and clean electricity, DoD and Dominion Energy are jointly exploring several potential solutions, including on-site clean energy generation, building-level energy efficiency, and a variety of other distributed energy resources improving resilience and efficiency. these efforts will improve military readiness and community resilience,” Owens said.

The goal of using carbon-free electricity is to achieve cleaner air.

“For several years, Virginia has been at the forefront of our nation’s clean energy transition,” said Ed Baine, president of Dominion Energy Virginia. “We are excited to work with the Department of Defense to build on this progress and help meet the federal government’s clean energy goals.” This is a great example of how the public and private sectors can work together to promote a cleaner environment and create jobs. and economic opportunities, and strengthen our country’s energy security.

The Department of Defense and Dominion Energy Virginia have identified three target areas:

• Regulated prices: Dominion Energy offers several rate-regulated products and is exploring opportunities to expand options that can provide clean, resilient and cost-effective sources of electricity.
• On-site generation development: Dominion Energy is exploring opportunities to construct CFE production assets on DoD land in Virginia. These projects can improve the resilience of military installations and support the overall decarbonization of the region’s power grid.
• Energetic efficiency : Dominion Energy offers several energy efficiency programs that can support the overall energy and resiliency goals of DoD and other federal agencies while reducing the overall load on the power system. DoD is exploring the possibility of enrolling in these programs at facilities located within Dominion Energy’s service territory.

“President Biden has charged the federal government with using our purchasing power, as the nation’s largest energy consumer, to support the growth of America’s clean energy industry – and to do so with a way that benefits taxpayers and communities,” said federal official Andrew Mayock. director of sustainability at the White House Council on Environmental Quality. “Strengthening and deepening utility partnerships will spur new clean electricity generation, create good-paying jobs, increase our resilience to climate change, and strengthen our national security.”