General Services Administration and Department Of Defense Seek Record-Setting Federal Purchases Of Clean Electricity

These two parallel clean electricity procurements, slated for award later this year, would together constitute one of the federal government’s largest-ever clean electricity purchases. 

The GSA Synopsis and DoD Synopsis published June 15 demonstrate each agency’s purchasing requirements and reflect their dedication to clean energy as a powerful mission-enabler.

These procurements seek contractors who can provide CFE to federal civilian and defense agencies located in the territory where PJM Interconnection is the regional transmission operator. In conducting market research, GSA and DoD previously issued a joint Request for Information (RFI) and hosted a combined GSA/DoD Industry Day. The agencies considered the input they received in response to the RFI and the information discussed at the Industry Day to shape their respective acquisition strategies and the solicitations.

PJM coordinates electricity transmission through an area of about 65 million people that includes all or parts of Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan, New Jersey, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia. Through these procurements, GSA and DoD anticipate seeking approximately 1.1 million and 2.4 million megawatt hours (MWh), respectively, of CFE and associated Energy Attribute Certificates per year, on average. 

With more than 300,000 buildings and 600,000 vehicles, the federal government is the nation’s largest energy consumer. The Federal Sustainability Plan aims to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050 by transitioning to zero-emission vehicles, energy efficient buildings, and CFE.

In particular, the government seeks to transition to 100% CFE by 2030, at least half of which will be locally supplied clean energy to meet 24/7 hourly-matched demand. Over the past three years, the government has signed agreements to provide federal facilities in 16 states with 100% CFE by 2030, which will increase the U.S. Government’s reliance on clean energy en route to 100% by 2030.