The Department of Defense and the General Services Administration are seeking information on vendors with capabilities to provide carbon-free electricity for the federal government.
The request for information from DOD and GSA came a month after the signing of an executive order that directs the federal government to consume 100 percent carbon-free electricity by 2030 and net-zero emissions from federal operations and procurement by 2050, the agencies said in a joint release published Thursday.
Kathleen Hicks, deputy secretary of defense and a 2022 Wash100 Award winner, said DOD has been one of the country’s largest energy users and adopting carbon-free electricity will not only help the department address climate change but also national security as it works to protect U.S. competitiveness in rapidly evolving energy markets.
“The RFI we released today sends a clear signal to the market that the Department of Defense is well underway in our efforts to support President Biden’s Executive Order to achieve a carbon-free electricity sector by 2035,” added Hicks.
“Powering the federal government with 100 percent clean energy will mean more clean jobs in communities, more clean energy sources in the market, and a cleaner planet for everyone,” said GSA Administrator Robin Carnahan.
The agencies issued the RFI to ask industry for potential approaches to achieving the targets in the Federal Sustainability Plan, understand the industry’s capability to provide carbon-free electricity on a 24/7 basis and show intent to achieve targets set by the executive order using whole-of-government approach.
Responses to the RFI are due March 7.
