The US Department of Energy (DOE) is making plans to build a 1 GW solar park at a former top-secret Manhattan Project nuclear power plant in Washington state.
The DOE’s plan is to work with Hecate Energy to repurpose the Hanford site, an 8,000-acre federal site, as part of the Cleanup to Clean Energy initiative introduced in July 2023. The program aims to reuse amounts of DOE-owned land, amounts that were in the past used in the United States’ nuclear weapons program, for the production of blank energy.
It was decided that Hecate Energy would follow a competitive, ratings-based procedure to compare and rank proposals. The DOE and Hecate Energy will undergo a negotiation process for a real estate deal, and the DOE notes that it could terminate negotiations and terminate the contract for any reason at that time.
The Hanford, Washington, long-term solar site, established in 1943, was a top-secret location in the World War II Manhattan Project, where nuclear reactors produced plutonium for the world’s first atomic bombs. It is located in a part of the semi-arid desert along the Columbia River.
United States Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm said, “. . . DOE is transforming thousands of acres of land at our Hanford into a thriving hub for carbon-free solar power generation, setting an example in cleaning up our environment and offering new economic opportunities for local communities. communities. . “
Under the Biden-Harris administration, just about 90 GW of solar capacity was added to the grid, enough to power about thirteen million homes.
Read more: California reaches one hundred days of electricity demand 100% covered through Renewables
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Michelle Lewis is an editor and publisher at Electrek and a staff member at DroneDJ, 9to5Mac, and 9to5Google. She lives in White River Junction, Vermont. In the past she has worked for Fast Company, The Guardian, News Deeply, Time and others. Message Michelle on Twitter or michelle@9to5mac. com. Take a look at her private blog.