Marine Corps Base (MCB) Camp Lejeune has awarded Duke Energy a $22 million utility energy service contract (UESC) for the design and construction of a microgrid at the military base. The microgrid solution includes upgraded electrical infrastructure; 5 MW of on-site natural gas-fired generation; a 5.4 MW battery energy storage system; integration of an existing solar photovoltaic system; and a microgrid controller to provide integrated demand management, black start and islanding capability.
“We’re excited to bring additional energy reliability and resiliency to Camp Lejeune,” says Melisa Johns, vice president of distributed energy solutions at Duke Energy. “This project offers a number of innovative and integrated solutions that will lead to more efficient energy use and significant cost savings to Camp Lejeune.”
The award leverages Energy Resilience Conservation Investment Program (ERCIP) funding to install the microgrid at Camp Johnson, an education and training area located within Camp Lejeune.
“The Marine Corps is investing in state-of-the-art infrastructure to position installations to prevent, recover and survive a prolonged loss of electrical service from weather – and climate-related events,” explains Marine Corps Installations Command Public Works Director Walter Ludwig. “This UESC award is a major step toward furthering the reliability, resilience and efficiency of Camp Lejeune’s electrical infrastructure and on-site generation capabilities.”
Located in Onslow County, N.C., Camp Lejeune is home to the largest concentration of Marines in the Marine Corps. It makes up nearly 20% of the Marine Corps’ installation energy consumption. In addition to multiple other energy efficiency projects, Duke Energy also completed a 13 MW solar facility at Camp Lejeune in 2015.
This UESC project is part of Duke Energy’s unregulated federal business as a Department of Energy certified Energy Services Company.
