CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C. -- Installation personnel assigned to the Energy Management Program are being recognized for their achievements in spearheading a monumental $22 million deal with Duke Energy to enhance the base’s energy resilience through the eventual construction of a microgrid outside Camp Johnson.
The team was recognized in the Contracting Award Category for their work with Naval Facilities Engineering Command to award a utility energy service contract (UESC) with the company. The first-of-its-kind UESC award along with Energy Resilience Conservation Investment Program (ERCIP) funding will not only improve Camp Lejeune’s energy resilience through the microgrid but also leverage traditional energy conservation measures that reduce energy, operations, and maintenance costs.
“Putting together a deal of this magnitude and complexity is no easy feat,” said U.S. Navy Capt. Jim Brown, MCB Camp Lejeune’s assistant chief of staff for facilities and environment. “This team’s collective efforts to get this project off the ground will ultimately ensure this base’s power infrastructure can continue to support Marines and their families through destructive weather events in the future.”
Slated for completion in 2026, the microgrid will provide power to support the entire education and training area within Camp Johnson on MCB Camp Lejeune. The microgrid system will incorporate a combination of natural and conventional energy sources, including solar photovoltaic energy, natural gas, and battery storage to power Camp Johnson in the event of an emergency or a blackout. The microgrid will increase energy efficiency and reduce energy costs by using the battery storage system to reduce peak demand charges during times when energy costs are higher.
Additionally, microgrid operators will be able to manage the power load and everything plugged into the grid, while redirecting power to critical missions that require a continuous energy supply during an unplanned power outage.
Groundbreaking on the project is scheduled to occur this spring.
The UESC will help better prepare MCB Camp Lejeune to prevent, recover, and survive a prolonged loss of electrical service from weather, climate-related events, aging infrastructure, and man-made threats. It represents a major step toward furthering the reliability, resilience, and efficiency of the installation’s electrical infrastructure and on-site generation capabilities.
When complete, the combined UESC/ERCIP is expected to help the installation reduce electric energy use and annual carbon emissions, resulting in an estimated energy savings of $93,000 per year.
The team is scheduled to accept the 2023 Federal Energy and Water Management Award at a formal ceremony next month in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.