While we were away, the US government was busy arranging a massive carbon-free boost to its operations infrastructure.
On Jan. 2, the General Services Administration (GSA), the independent government agency that manages government buildings and real estate, announced two monster contracts with nuclear operator Constellation ($CEG).
- The first is worth $840M over 10 years and will provide the GSA with more than 1M MWh per year of electricity per year beginning in 2025.
- The second is a $172M contract to increase energy efficiency at five facilities in and around DC.
The $840M contract is the largest energy services contract the GSA has ever awarded. It covers energy services for 14 government agencies at facilities in Illinois, Maryland, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Ohio.
“We’re demonstrating how the federal government can join major corporate clean energy buyers in spurring new nuclear energy capacity and ensuring a reliable, affordable supply of clean energy for everyone,” GSA Administrator Robin Carnahan said in a statement.
Stars in the sky: Constellation has been positioning itself at the forefront of large-scale nuclear expansion and integration efforts. Its partnership with Microsoft is behind the resurrection of the Three Mile Island plant (now known as the Crane Clean Energy Center), which is expected to start generating electricity in 2028. The operator is also working to boost output at existing plants in the short term.
Lead Reporter of Ignition