The National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) has awarded a contract to Siemens Government Technologies to construct the federal government’s largest wind farm that will consist of five 2.3 MW turbines located on 1,500 acres of government-owned property east of the Pantex plant in Amarillo, Texas. The Pantex plant is America’s nuclear weapons assembly and disassembly facility.
Using an Energy Savings Performance Contract, Siemens will provide a turnkey wind farm system that includes a multi-year service, maintenance and warranty agreement. The cost of the project will be funded by the energy savings guaranteed by Siemens and is expected to save the government an average of $2.9 million annually over the 20-year contract term.
The wind farm is expected to generate roughly 47 million kWh annually, which is more than 60 percent of the electricity required annually for the Pantex facility.
The NNSA was established by Congress in 2000 as a separately organized agency within the Department of Energy, responsible for the management and security of the nation’s nuclear weapons, nuclear nonproliferation and naval reactor programs.
