DAF to Pilot Carbon Pollution-Free Electricity across Several Installations

  • Published
  • By Secretary of the Air Force Public Affairs
  • SAF/IEE

The Department of the Air Force acknowledges that unprecedented changes to the global climate and increasingly severe weather events create new challenges for continued mission assurance. As one of the largest energy consumers, the Department of Defense has a unique opportunity to catalyze private sector investment and expand the economy and American industry by transforming how we build, buy, and manage electricity, vehicles, buildings, and other operations. 

The DAF is participating in a DoD-wide initiative to accelerate the deployment of clean energy and decrease greenhouse gas emissions, while enhancing installation energy resilience. In alignment with Executive Order 14057, “Catalyzing Clean Energy Industries and Jobs Through Federal Sustainability,” the DoD is piloting new electricity procurement approaches to achieve 100% carbon pollution-free electricity by 2030.

DAF is supporting DoD’s CFE pilot initiatives in North Carolina, South Carolina, and Texas. In December, the Defense Logistics Agency issued a Notice of Opportunity (NOO) for North and South Carolina to support CFE procurement pilot projects at installations in the region. The NOO is associated with the green tariff program offered by the utility Duke Energy and will support Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, North Carolina, and Shaw Air Force Base, South Carolina, among other DoD installations.

DLA also issued a Request for Proposals in Texas for the purchase of CFE in the region operated by the Electric Reliability Council of Texas. This RFP will help the DoD identify the best possible partner for this project and will apply to eleven installations in the state, including three DAF bases: Dyess Air Force Base, Ellington Field Joint Reserve Base (147th Texas Air National Guard), and the 149th Texas Air National Guard. DAF is in the early stages of collaborating with other agencies on additional CFE efforts in other regions and markets.

In addition, DAF provided service-level inputs for incorporation into the DoD CFE Strategic Plan, which will develop a path to achieving the EO 14057 goal of 100% net annual CFE by 2030. DAF’s inputs to the DoD CFE Strategic Plan included data on installation utility contracts and CFE procurement. The data will be used to institute a “whole-of-government” approach to procurement of CFE resources.

The scope, scale, and speed of the transition to CFE requires coordination across agencies as well as collaboration with electric utilities and private sector partners. The issuance of the NOO and RFP are important steps toward transforming how the DAF buys and manages electricity.

Supplier responses to the solicitations, to include CFE quantities, pricing, availability, and other factors, will be evaluated and negotiated. DLA expects award decisions in calendar year 2023.