Naval Air Station Ph: (850) 452-4436

Public Affairs Office

Pensacola, Florida DSN: 459-4436

PRESS RELEASE

Release Number: 38-15 Dec. 16, 2015

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

NAVY, AIR FORCE BREAK GROUND WITH

GULF POWER AT NAS PENSACOLA ON

FLORIDA’S LARGEST SOLAR PROJECT

PENSACOLA, Fla. (Dec. 16, 2015) – Beginning a unique new relationship between the

Navy, Air Force and Southern Company subsidiary Gulf Power, a ground-breaking ceremony

was held Dec. 16 at Naval Air Station (NAS) Pensacola, marking the start of construction for

three large-scale solar electric generating facilities.

Combined, these facilities will have approximately 1.5 million solar panels that could generate

up to 157 megawatts (MW) of direct current (DC) or 120 MW of alternating current (AC) power.

This translates to powering roughly 18,000 homes on a sunny day. The endeavor will be one of

the largest solar energy projects east of the Mississippi River.

Gulf Power and its third party developer Coronal Development Services will construct three

facilities — one at NAS Pensacola, one at NAS Whiting Field and one at Eglin Air Force Base.

On April 16, 2015, the Florida Public Service Commission, approved of all three project plans.

Respectively, the departments of the Navy and the Air Force recently signed land lease

agreements with Gulf Power.

The energy farms will be constructed at Navy Outlying Landing Field Saufley near NAS

Pensacola (50 MW), Navy Outlying Landing Field Holley near NAS Whiting Field (40 MW),

and at Eglin Air Force Base near Fort Walton Beach (30 MW).

Notable ground-breaking ceremony presenters and attendees included Dennis V. McGinn,

assistant secretary of the Navy for energy, installations and environment; Miranda A.A.

Ballentine, assistant secretary of the Air Force for installations, environment and energy; Capt.

Keith Hoskins, commanding officer of Naval Air Station Pensacola; Capt. Todd A. Bahlau,

commanding officer of Naval Air Station Whiting Field; Col. Matthew W. Higer, vice

commander of the 96th

Test Wing at Eglin Air Force Base; and Stan Connally, president and

CEO of Gulf Power.

These initiatives support the Department of the Defense's and the Navy’s Renewable Energy

Program Office’s (REPO) commitment to renewable energy and show the leadership both

services are displaying in pursuit of energy security.

McGinn said the collaboration between Gulf Power and the Department of the Navy to construct

new solar facilities on Florida Navy installations will have a myriad of benefits.

“Together, we can provide physical security to the assets, increase the regional grid resiliency

and upgrade the energy infrastructure where our Sailors and aviators live and work, as well as

stimulate economic activity through development. Energy, the economy, the environment and

our national security are bound together; you cannot affect one without affecting the others, and

these projects have positive benefits in all four dimensions," he said.

Capt. Hoskins spoke of the secretary of the Navy’s REPO and the wide-spread goals of saving

energy onboard NAS Pensacola and throughout the Navy, and how the agreement with Gulf

Power also helps the local community in energy costs.

“Two and a half years ago, my command staff and the NAS Pensacola Public Works leadership

team, began to offer an energy vision to create a culture of energy conservation, reduce costs and

detail a framework for planning and installing energy-efficient appliances in all of our new

programs and infrastructure renovations that we have put in place,” he said.

“We also took a look at space allocation efficiencies across more than 15,000 structures onboard

NAS Pensacola,” he noted. “But I think it is important to note that also part of that vision was to

seek public and private ventures that will bring energy value to NAS Pensacola and the

surrounding community. I can tell you that six months after promulgating our energy vision, the

(REPO) was stood up by Secretary (of the Navy Ray) Mabus to focus on cost effective

renewable energy projects for the Department of Navy Installations while working closely with

Commander, Navy Installations Command and the Commander of Navy Facilities Engineering

Command.

“The REPO’s mission is to fulfill SecNav’s projects and goals for renewable energy, which is

mainly to produce and also procure 1 gigawatt of renewable energy by 2020,” said Hoskins.

“Spoken in true naval aviator parlance, I can say I saw the opportunity and I took a shot. We

were able to achieve this endeavor and bring renewable power here to the Pensacola area.

“Under the auspices of the secretary of the Navy strategy for renewable energy, this project

provides and opportunity for us to assist local and state partners in understanding the Department

of the Navy’s overall strategy and commitment to renewable energy,” he said. “Improving

energy efficiency and increasing the use of alternative energy promotes more secure and more

resilient mission onboard Naval Air Station Pensacola.”

Capt. Bahlau said of Whiting Field’s commitment to the agreement, “It is very rewarding to be

part of this project, because not only does it help to ensure energy stability for the installations,

but it also provides a significant new source of renewable, clean energy for our local area.”

Secretary Ballentine said this type of enhanced use lease highlights how public-private

collaboration benefits the Air Force, industry and local communities.

“The Air Force is focused on using these types of partnerships as a viable business model to

improve the service’s energy resiliency and provide mission assurance through energy

assurance,” she said. “Renewable energy projects like this are good for the nation because it

increases grid diversity, improves resiliency, and reduces greenhouse gas emissions and air

pollution.”

Col. Higer said Eglin Air Force Base has already been recognized for other environmental

projects, but Eglin’s commitment to environment extends beyond that to energy as well. “This

project is an important step in furthering the development of technologies that increase mission

assurance through energy assurance.”

According to Gulf Power’s Connally, these solar projects help Gulf Power to further diversify its

energy portfolio and support the mission to provide safe, affordable and reliable energy to its

Northwest Florida customers.

"This is an important collaboration between Gulf Power, the Navy and Air Force," said

Connally. "Through careful planning, we¹ve been able to work alongside our military partners to

help support solutions for them to meet federal renewable energy and energy conservation

mandates, while Gulf Power pursues cost-effective forms of renewable energy at the same time."

The parties anticipate these solar facilities to be operational by December 2016 and serve all

Gulf Power customers.

Once operational, the respective facilities are estimated to generate the following numbers on a

sunny day:

NAS Pensacola: 65 MW DC or 50 MW AC to power approximately 7,400 Escambia

County homes

NAS Whiting Field: 52 MW DC or 40 MW AC to power approximately 6,100 Santa

Rosa County homes

Eglin Air Force Base: 40 MW DC or 30 MW AC to power approximately 4,500

Okaloosa County homes

—USN—