Energy Efficiency, Microgrids, CHP  -  January 18, 2021

U.S. Air Force begins construction on ESPC

The United States Air Force announced on Jan. 14 that it began construction on an energy savings performance contract (ESPC) including a combined heat and power plant with microgrid controls to improve energy resilience and enhance mission readiness at its Yokota Air Base outside of Tokyo, Japan. The project can produce more than 10 MW of power to support the base's critical buildings and enhances the efficiency of more than 450 buildings to further optimize demand. 

The $403 million contract is funded with energy savings guaranteed by Schneider Electric over a 25-year term.  Nineteen total conservation measures will provide an average of $20 million in annual guaranteed energy savings, which will pay for the improvements over the life of the contract. This ESPC expands an existing partnership between Schneider Electric and the Air Force, representing the fourth performance contract between the two entities in the past four years.

"Yokota AB is a strategically located installation for the Air Force, requiring dependability of building systems, reliability of operations, and resilience to deliver on its missions. As a team, we are proud to build upon past ESPC experience to make the necessary decisions and enhancements to assure energy supply and maintain mission assurance," Michael Ringenberg, GS-13, ESPC/UESC PMO, U.S. Air Force, said in a statement. "The scope of the Yokota AB project demonstrates what is possible for providing comprehensive resilience solutions through an ESPC and along with conservation updates that uniquely enables us to reach our mission goals."

The Yokota AB project is one of the largest and most comprehensive resilience performance contracts for the Department of Defense (DoD) to date. Aging infrastructure challenges, such as the electrical grid incurring more frequent blackouts in the Tokyo area, are putting stress on the critical facilities and systems that ensure power quality and reliability for the protection of our armed forces and the citizens they serve around the world. The Air Force has become a leader within the DoD in taking an active approach to modernizing its bases to prevent potential power and systems interruptions from impacting national security.

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