Energy conservation efforts at the Hanford Site continue to earn incentives through the Bonneville Power Administration’s Energy Efficiency Incentive program.
Office of Environmental Management
January 23, 2024
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RICHLAND, Wash. — Energy conservation efforts at the Hanford Site continue to earn incentives through the Bonneville Power Administration’s (BPA) Energy Efficiency Incentive program.
Incentives are cash rebates for energy saving projects. Contractor Hanford Mission Integration Solutions (HMIS) works with other Hanford contractors for the EM Richland Operations Office and Office of River Protection to identify qualifying projects and submit those to the BPA.
Richland Operations Office Chief Engineer Elaine Porcaro noted the importance of investing in energy saving upgrades.
“As the cleanup mission progresses and Hanford embarks on new, energy-intensive treatment missions, saving energy and accomplishing the mission in the most efficient way possible is key to supporting future cleanup work,” Porcaro said.
The financial incentives earned by each contractor go back into the project or facility budget that made the upgrades, allowing more money to directly fund the cleanup mission and future initiatives.
“Most of the Hanford Site’s incentives in the last two years came from energy-efficient LED lighting and improvements to electrical transmission lines,” HMIS and Hanford Site Energy Manager Christian Seavoy said. “The upgrades earned Hanford contractors $190,679. That is equivalent to 884,902 kilowatt-hours saved — enough energy to power 1,000 homes for a month.”
Hanford Site contractors have earned $1.66 million in incentives since the program began in 2012. Annual energy savings associated with the improvements are approximately 6.8 million kilowatt-hours, enough to power those 1,000 homes for almost eight months.
Upgrading aging infrastructure isn’t the only way for Hanford contractors to earn financial incentives. New construction, such as Hanford’s Central Plateau Water Treatment Facility and offices at its 222-S Laboratory, provides the opportunity for contractors to earn BPA incentives by exceeding energy-efficiency construction requirements.
“The One Hanford team works to ensure every aspect of the mission is as efficient as possible, to stretch available funding and maximize cleanup progress,” said Porcaro. “Efficiency projects like these are principal in optimizing site energy usage and they provide triple dividends: they reduce the cost of power and power infrastructure expansion, and pay direct incentives, which increases funding available to support the primary cleanup mission. Optimizing site energy usage will help Hanford progress our vital cleanup mission.”
Porcaro added, "Congrats to our Hanford contractors on teaming to achieve these impressive incentives year after year.”
-Contributor: Jill Harvill
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