In a recent release, Honeywell (News - Alert) and the U.S. Air Force announced a $243 million facility modernization project at Tinker Air Force Base in Oklahoma City that they said is expected to reduce energy consumption by 23 percent and save the base $20.5 million in energy and operational costs each year. This is the second such announcement this month from the partners, following up on a deal for Los Angeles Air Force base.
It is the largest energy savings performance contract (ESPC) ever awarded by the Air Force, the statement said. The project is a joint effort among Tinker, Honeywell, the Defense Logistics Agency Energy, Headquarters Air Force Materiel Command and the Air Force Civil Engineer Center. The project will focus on improvements to production facilities at the Oklahoma City - Air Logistics Complex (OC-ALC), which employs more than 9,000 people and is one of three air logistics complexes operated within the Air Force Sustainment Center (AFSC), Air Force Materiel Command (AFMC).
The work will be funded through a 21-year ESPC awarded to Honeywell by the Defense Logistics Agency Energy. The ESPC will enable the Air Force to fund upgrades using annual energy and operational savings that are guaranteed by Honeywell, eliminating the need for any upfront capital investment by the Air Force. Once the project is complete, the improvements are anticipated to save the Air Logistics Complex more than $626 million in energy and operational costs over the life of the project. In the first year alone, the base is expected to save more than $6.7 million in energy expenses and $13.4 million in operational costs.
“We are honored to be home to the largest energy retrofit project in Air Force history,” said Brig. Gen. Mark K. Johnson, OC-ALC commander. “This is a big milestone for Tinker Air Force Base and the Air Force in our journey to achieving operational efficiency, and we thank both the Secretary of the Air Force Leadership and Honeywell for making this achievement possible. In addition to increasing productivity, the improvements will also make us more competitive in the private sector for aircraft maintenance work through decreasing our energy costs.”