(Port Houston. Credit: BusinessWire.)Port Houston is set to begin purchasing renewable electricity port-wide, a move that would make it the first port in the United States to administer such a program.
Executive Director Roger Guenther was given authorization by the Port Commission Tuesday to enter into final negotiations for the purchase of renewable electricity with three retail electric providers. Those providers are Constellation New Energy, Inc., MP2 Energy Texas, and NRG Business Solutions.
The authorization includes determining the provider with the proposal that provides the best value for the port and entering into a ten-year contract with that provider at a cost not to exceed $35 million.
Port Houston will save about $240,000 annually by moving from a three-year to a ten-year term, or a savings of $2.5 million over the longer time. Sourcing the electricity from 100 percent renewable generation will eliminate about 25,000 tons of carbon dioxide from Port Houston’s carbon footprint or a quarter of a million tons over ten years.
The energy will be collected from renewable resources, including sunlight, wind, rain, tides, waves, and geothermal heat.
We are currently accepting submissions for the 2020 Environment + Energy Leader Awards. Learn more here.
