Request for Qualifications Issued for Generating Clean Energy on DOE-Owned Lands

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) today issued a request for qualifications (RFQ) related to the Cleanup to Clean Energy initiative focused on generating clean energy on DOE-owned lands.

“Along with delivering on environmental cleanup, Hanford is ideally positioned to help meet our nation’s clean energy goals,” said William “Ike” White, senior advisor for the DOE Office of Environmental Management (EM). “Under the leadership of Secretary Granholm, EM will continue working with local communities to leverage opportunities like the Cleanup to Clean Energy initiative that will lead us into a clean energy future.”

Building on the draft issued in December, the purpose of the final RFQ is to receive proposals from parties interested in utilizing land at the Hanford Site in Washington state to develop utility-scale, carbon-pollution-free electricity projects (CFE) that interconnect with the local public electric utility system. Comments and questions on the final RFQ are due by March 15, and proposals are due by April 15.

America’s energy security, economic resilience and climate leadership require the nation to dramatically increase clean energy production over the next several decades. DOE is playing a critical leadership role in achieving this goal, not only through policy implementation but also the strategic use of DOE federal facilities and lands.

Working with a diverse range of stakeholders, including industry, federal entities, tribes, and state and local officials, DOE is exploring opportunities to utilize federal land for the buildout of large-scale clean energy projects. The Cleanup to Clean Energy initiative will help achieve President Joe Biden’s ambitious climate goals and the directive in Executive Order 14057 for agencies to use their properties for the development of new clean electricity generation.

The Hanford Site, which is one of several EM sites engaged in environmental cleanup across the United States, is supporting efforts to reach CFE goals as well as supporting the local community’s vision of becoming a center of excellence in clean energy generation and storage.

Through the RFQ, DOE is conducting a competitive, qualifications-based process for evaluating and ranking proposals. Following project selection, negotiations will commence for the intended execution of a realty agreement covering the development, construction and operation of a CFE project.

In developing the final RFQ, DOE previously released a request for information, hosted a Hanford Cleanup to Clean Energy Day, and responded to comments received as part of the draft RFQ process.

DOE will continue to communicate and partner with industry, tribal nations, communities, stakeholders, regulators and others regarding this initiative.