Constellation Energy /quotes/comstock/13*!ceg/quotes/nls/ceg (CEG 33.65, +0.74, +2.25%) today announced that its energy projects and services division is completing the development and construction of two comprehensive energy projects at federal correctional institutions in Fairton, N.J., and Petersburg, Va. Both projects combine energy and water conservation measures and also incorporate renewable technologies to reduce utility costs and improve sustainability of the facilities. Structured as energy savings performance contracts, the combined annual cost savings of more than $2.2 million created by the guaranteed reductions in energy and water usage will be used to finance the infrastructure upgrades of both projects.
"All of our federal customers are seeking new ways to reduce energy usage and costs and green their operations without incurring significant capital improvement costs," said Michael D. Smith, senior vice president of green initiatives for Constellation NewEnergy. "Constellation Energy can apply the resources and expertise of a leading, national energy services company to develop comprehensive energy programs that address and exceed all federal mandates for conservation and deployment of renewables. Best of all, through the federal energy savings performance contract model, these improvements pay for themselves over the term of the contract."
For FCI Fairton, N.J., Constellation Energy combined a solar photovoltaic power system with facility-wide electrical upgrades, efficient lighting, smart energy controls, water conservation measures, and improvements to the boiler and chiller plants. Constellation Energy estimates that the combined projects will result in FCI Fairton reducing energy use by 27 percent and water use by 42 percent, creating more than $800,000 in estimated annual energy cost saving. The new FCI Fairton solar installation generates 400 kilowatts of electricity. Generating the same amount of power from fossil fuel sources would result in the annual release of 500 tons of carbon dioxide, 3,800 pounds of nitrogen oxide and sulfur dioxide.
At FCC Petersburg, Va., Constellation Energy installed an on-site biomass heating system–the first such system at a Federal Bureau of Prisons facility–as well as a rooftop solar photovoltaic system, and a geothermal heat pump system. FCC Petersburg expects to save 70 million gallons of water annually through new efficiency infrastructure and reduce energy usage by 34 billion Btu, resulting in $1.4 million in annual cost savings. The renewable systems deployed at FCC Petersburg are estimated to avoid the release of more than 5,800 pounds of nitrogen oxide and 3,400 tons of carbon dioxide over the life of the project. FCC Petersburg will also be using a fleet of electric vehicles at the facility to further reduce emissions.
Constellation Energy has developed an expertise in implementing energy conservation measures for correctional facilities. In addition to federal correctional sites, Constellation Energy has worked with state and county prison systems. As a result of this experience, Constellation Energy factors in the unique requirements of working in continuous security environments during project planning and construction.
FCI Fairton is a medium security facility for male inmates. It also has an adjacent satellite prison camp housing minimum security male inmates. FCI Fairton is located in rural south central New Jersey, 50 miles southeast of Philadelphia, Pa., and 40 miles west of Atlantic City, N.J. The FCC Petersburg Correctional Complex consists of both low security and medium security facilities housing male inmates. FCC Petersburg is located 25 miles southeast of Richmond, Va. Both FCC Petersburg and FCI Fairton are part of the Federal Bureau of Prisons, an agency of the U.S. Department of Justice.
