As signaled earlier in the week by the new head of the Department of Energy’s nuclear cleanup branch, a developer for a carbon-free electricity project at the Savannah River Site in South Carolina was selected.
DOE announced in a Thursday press release that it chose Dallas-based Stellar Renewable Power to enter negotiations for a utility-scale solar project at the 310-square-mile Savannah River Site.
The new head of DOE’s Office of Environmental Management, senior adviser Candice Robertson, said in a Tuesday address to the Energy Facility Contractors Group (EFCOG) in Arlington, Va. the Savannah River award could come soon.
Stellar, which is backed by the investment firm KKR, can now negotiate a land lease to deploy 75 megawatts of carbon-pollution-free electricity to the grid with the potential for a battery-energy storage system on at least 500 acres of land at the site, according to the press release.
“We are excited about this solar-powered commercial project utilizing SRS land to produce clean energy, achieving site sustainability goals and bringing jobs and innovation to the state of South Carolina,” Robertson said in the Thursday DOE release.
DOE is also wrapping up its analysis for additional solar capacity at Savannah River, which could be announced next month, the department added.
The Cleanup to Clean Energy program is an “innovative” effort by DOE to tap underutilized land on agency nuclear sites to generate electricity that does not use fossil fuels, Robertson said. Robertson said the program should help the Savannah River Site meet its sustainability goals by 2030.
“And how can we leverage that property in order to generate clean energy,” Robertson said in response to a question from Exchange Monitor. Savannah River has been looking at solar power and non-carbon-emitting generation options at the site.
Awards have already been announced for the Idaho National Laboratory and the Nevada National Security Site.
Robertson was leading the DOE Cleanup to Clean Energy Program for weapons complex sites prior to being tapped by the department last month to succeed William (Ike) White, who has led Environmental Management for five years. She formally started her new role at the nuclear cleanup office this week.
