ACCIONA selected by the US Army for wind power projects as well as solar projects

ACCIONA Energía has been shortlisted by the US Army as a potential contractor for the development of wind power projects, as part of an Administration program that sets out to drive the implementation of renewable energies in military facilities.

Through its subsidiary ACCIONA Energy North America, on August 31^st the company was approved by the Engineering Corps of the US Army as eligible for future contracts for the supply of solar power. It is one of 16 companies selected from a total of 45 applicants.

The US Defense Department is the biggest single consumer of energy in the world and it now has to comply with a mandate from Congress to cover at least 25% of the energy consumption in its facilities and installations with renewable energy sources. To do this, it plans to implement 3,000 MW of renewables in Army, Air Force and Navy facilities by 2025, with a level of consumption equivalent to that of around 750,000 homes.

The MATOC (Multiple Award Task Order Contracts) program in which this initiative is framed has a budget allocation of 7 billion dollars and covers the signature of purchase and sale contracts for renewable energy (wind, solar, biomass and geothermal) for up to 30 years with qualified contractors to design, finance, construct, operate and maintain electricity generation facilities for supply to the Army.

"The qualification in wind and solar power is a major recognition of ACCIONA's technological capability and opens up great business opportunities, working together with the Defense Department to fulfil its objectives in the field of renewable energy sources", says Ilya Hartmann, CEO of ACCIONA Energy North America.

Leadership in wind power

ACCIONA Energía is a world leader in the development, construction, operation and maintenance of wind power installations, with over 20 years' experience in the sector. In this time it has installed 8,600 MW in 16 countries, of which over 7,000 MW are owned by the company.

In the USA, ACCIONA has seven wind farms with a total capacity of 628 MW, plus a wind turbine plant in Iowa. In other technologies, it was a pioneer through the installation of a 64-MW CSP plant in the Nevada desert in 2007.