Clark Energy and Acciona to Develop 1,000-Megawatt Fort Irwin Solar Project for U.S. Army

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Researched by Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas)--The Baltimore district U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has shortlisted Clark Energy Group (Arlington, Virginia) to develop a large solar energy project at Fort Irwin (San Bernadino County, California). Another green energy player, Acciona Solar Power Incorporated (Clark County, Nevada) has been selected to partner Clark in this venture, which is a part of the Enhanced Use Leasing (EUL) program initiated by the Army Corps.

The 1,000-megawatt (MW) Fort Irwin solar project will be implemented in a phased manner with the first 500 MW of output scheduled to be available by 2022. The project is expected to be executed at an estimated cost of $2 billion. Construction activities are slated to commence in 2011. The Fort Irwin EUL project will be based on multiple solar technologies, involving both solar thermal plants as well as photovoltaic units. Power generation facilities will be spread across five sites, spanning a total land area of 14,000 acres.

The Clark-Acciona action plan is based on a holistic approach covering all aspects of the project, ranging from the terrain, infrastructure and technology to constraints, resources and costs involved in the venture. The team is also expected to factor the lead times associated with obtaining necessary resources, connections and approvals for each stage of the project into its plan.

The land requirements of the project have been addressed under the EUL program of the Army Corps. The U.S. Army plans to harness private funds and expertise to promote renewable energy ventures in return for long-term leases of land owned by the Army. The lease, lasting up to 50 years, will be based on the market value of land, the rent for which will be payable by means of in-kind services such as infrastructure development involving developing road networks and airstrips.

A portion of the 1,250 gigawatt-hours of energy generated by the Fort Irwin solar power venture will power two critical facilities located within the Fort Irwin grounds in the Mojave Desert of California, while the remaining output will be marketed to the private sector. Potential buyers include Edison International (NYSE:EIX) (Rosemead, California) and Los Angeles Department of Water and Power. The Army's heavy maneuver combat training exercises are conducted at the National Training Center located in the Fort Irwin complex. Fort Irwin also houses NASA's Goldstone Deep Space Communications Complex, responsible for contacting and tracking space missions. The pilot EUL project will serve as a model to harness the vast solar potential in the desert region, in addition to providing energy security to Fort Irwin.

Clark Energy is an energy solutions provider for both public and private sectors and is a full-service energy services company specializing in services related to energy efficiency, water conservation and development of green energy ventures. Clark is an affiliate of diversified real estate company Clark Realty Builders LLC (Arlington, Virginia). Clark has partnered with several energy majors in various ventures. The company has been awarded a $5 billion super energy savings performance contract by the U.S. Department of Energy.

Acciona Solar Power is an affiliate of Acciona Energy, which in turn is a part of Acciona SA's North American group of subsidiaries. Acciona SA (MCE:ANA) (Madrid, Spain) has been involved in sustainable green energy, water treatment and other infrastructure ventures for more than two decades. The company's operations span more than 30 countries.

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