Biden Administration Signs U.S. Government’s First-Ever 24/7 Carbon Free Energy Deal
The Biden administration announced today that it has entered its first ever deal to source 100% carbon-free energy (CFE) on a 24-hour-a-day 7-days-a-week (24/7) basis, with the signing of an agreement between the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) and integrated energy company Entergy’s subsidiary Entergy Arkansas.
The announcement follows an executive order signed by President Biden in December, outlining a series of goals and initiatives for the U.S. federal government to achieve net zero emissions by 2050, which included a requirement to power all federal facilities with 100% carbon pollution-free electricity by 2030, including 50% on a 24/7 basis.
According to the GSA, the new MoU signed with Entergy will help federal agencies in Arkansas meet the goals of the executive order, and it anticipates that the agreement will provide the utility’s private and public sector customers with a cost-competitive and reliable option for CFE to match their electricity consumption for all hours of the day.
GSA Administrator Robin Carnahan said:
“This MOU marks a historic step forward and demonstrates how the federal government is partnering in initiatives to spur demand for carbon pollution-free electricity – when and where people need it.”
Under the MoU, the GSA and Entergy Arkansas will work together towards a plan to have all Federal Government electricity customers of the utility using electricity that is 100% attributable to renewable and CFE resources – meaning it is delivered to the same grid region as the consuming facilities – with at least 50% 24/7 hourly matching of CFE with the consumers’ electricity needs. The agreement envisions the use of Entergy’s existing CFE power generation, including nuclear, as well as the construction and acquisition of new renewable and other CFE resources.
The agreement also ensures that the CFE for all of the other utility’s customers is not reduced as a result of the program.
Andrew Mayock, the federal government’s chief sustainability officer at the White House, said:
“Today’s MOU shows how innovative, customer-centric clean energy can help Federal agencies in Arkansas cost-effectively meet the clean energy goals of President Biden’s Federal Sustainability Plan. By building upon existing nuclear power generation with new carbon-free renewable resources, this approach helps reach net-zero emissions while keeping costs low for consumers.