During peak demand, Navy bases generate own power
Jul 9 - McClatchy-Tribune Regional News - Kate Wiltrout The
Virginian-Pilot, Norfolk, Va.
Eight local Navy installations produced 35 megawatts of their own
electricity Wednesday -- less than half of what they typically pull from
the power grid -- as part of a new program to reduce power consumption
during times of peak usage.
Bases, including Norfolk Naval Station, Portsmouth Naval Medical Center,
Oceana Naval Air Station, Joint Expeditionary Base Little Creek and
Norfolk Naval Shipyard, typically draw power from an electrical grid
that serves several states on the East Coast.
Last year, Naval Facilities Engineering Command Mid-Atlantic signed a
contract with PJM Interconnection to reduce the amount of power those
bases take from the grid at times of peak demand. Wednesday, with a heat
wave causing triple- digit temperatures in the Northeast, the bases
executed the contract for the first time, according to Navy spokesman
Tom Kreidel.
The 35 megawatts the bases produced is enough to power 35,000 homes,
Kreidel said.
The Navy's contract with PJM could require 10 such curtailments
per year. In return for reducing its impact, the Navy could receive up
to $2 million a year in credits.
Kate Wiltrout, (757) 446-2629,
kate.wiltrout@pilotonline.com
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