The DOE’s Hanford Site. (Image: Washington River Protection Solutions)
The Department of Energy’s Office of Environmental Management issued for public comment the first request for qualifications (RFQ) related to the department’s Cleanup to Clean Energy initiative, which aims to increase energy production by making DOE land available for the potential development of carbon-free energy (CFE) electricity generation through leases.
The draft RFQ, which follows an initial request for information issued in August 2023, pertains to the DOE’s Hanford Site, near Richland, Wash.
The details: Issued on December 20, the draft Hanford RFQ includes details about the Cleanup to Clean Energy effort, outlines factors that may be considered during the evaluation of future proposals, and solicits input from parties interested in leasing Hanford Site land to develop utility-scale CFE projects.
The DOE is encouraging public comment through February 5, with comments being used to develop a final RFQ. Information on the draft RFQ, including how to submit comments, can be found on DOE-EM’s Clean Energy Land Reuse webpage, as well as the sam.gov site.
The site: Home to the DOE’s largest environmental remediation project, Hanford has approximately 19,000 acres of contiguous land that the DOE has identified for potential industrial use, including CFE generation and storage projects. The DOE said it may decide to lease part or all the available land for CFE, or award leases to one or multiple entities for CFE. Potential projects include solar, wind, and nuclear.
The DOE will continue to communicate and partner with industry, tribal nations, communities, stakeholders, regulators, and others as a process to potentially develop clean energy projects on DOE land is developed and implemented.
