Request_for_Expressions_of_Interest-(REOI)_dated_18-Mar-2024 Final.pdf

DEPARTMENT OF THE AIR FORCE

HEADQUARTERS AIR FORCE TEST CENTER (AFMC)

EDWARDS AIR FORCE BASE CALIFORNIA

One AFMC…Powering the World’s Greatest Air Force

18 Mar 2024

Mr. Joshua P. Vasquez Contacting Officer 5 S. Wolfe Ave., Building 2800 Edwards AFB, CA 93524

Dear Interested Parties, This is a Request for Expressions of Interest (REOI). As the Contracting Officer, I am writing this REOI on behalf of the 412th Civil Engineering Group. This REOI shall not be construed as a Request for Proposal (RFP), a lease solicitation, or any obligation on the part of the Government. The Government does not intend to select or qualify proposals or offers on the basis of this REOI or otherwise pay for information obtained via this REOI or in response to it.

No basis for claim against the Government shall arise as a result of this REOI. The Air Force Office of Energy Assurance (OEA) has provided a letter of support for this REOI (see Attachment-1).

The Government is performing market research to determine feasibility of contracting for various energy generation technologies and/or energy storage technologies for the purpose of providing resilience to Edwards AFB (EAFB). The Government is specifically interested in gaining a better understanding of technology, capacity, economics, and integration of resilient energy solutions that could provide resilient power to part or the entire installation (i.e. up to 40 megawatts (MWs)). The energy generated would ideally offset utility grid purchases. In the event of a grid outage, the technology should be capable of operating in an islanded mode and integrating with existing generation sources to support critical loads at EAFB. The electrical supplier for EAFB is Southern California Edison (SCE). Any generation system would need to interconnect and integrate with the EAFB electrical system. The optimum system would be largely renewable based and be scaled to also support the surrounding community and the California grid.

The energy generation system shall be designed and optimized to meet the Government’s respective requirements under two operating conditions:

Normal Operation: Defined as periods where EAFB is able to draw electricity from the utility grid. Under this operation, the energy generation system would be interconnected to the California grid with the possibility of providing some power to EAFB.

Grid Outage Operation: Defined as periods where EAFB is operating independently from the utility grid in an electrically islanded mode. Under this operation, the energy generation system will be interconnected with EAFB electrical distribution system and provide the installation with an estimated maximum of 40MWs of primary power with the ability to island/isolate from the commercial utility grid. Barring that, with the ability to island and supply energy to only certain critical loads on EAFB. The Government’s interest is to increase

Request for Expressions of Interest (REOI) Page 2 of 5 electrical power availability to mission functions during periods of Grid Failure. The energy generation system shall be capable of integrating with the existing EAFB grid. The map of Southern California Transmission system is shown in Attachment-2 and Attachment-3 shows Table One – Edwards Air Force Base Electric Usage.

The requirements for the installation would be as follows:

(1) Provide 40MWs of backup power when the SCE grid is down

(2) Offset the cost of SCE grid purchases for the installation

(3) Be designed as a community project that would benefit Edwards AFB and the local community

(4) Allow for sharing of investments to improve Edwards AFB resiliency and the resiliency of the state of California electrical grid

(5) Construction, operation, and maintenance of the system, up to the point of demarcation with the installation owned equipment, is to be done by the generating entity, not the installation

(6) The proposal can contain all types of generation permitted in the state of California, with renewable power being a preferred interest

(7) The proposal shall include estimated cost, per year, for the backup/standby power

(8) The proposed system could potentially be permitted to be constructed on Edwards

AFB owned land; in such a case, the Energy Assurance Lease (EAL) contract will be considered with the backup power provided as an in-kind consideration under the contract

(9) The system shall utilize the existing utility, private and Edwards AFB transmission and distribution infrastructure as much as possible

(10) The proposal may also be structured as a Power Purchase Agreement (PPA)

The installation is looking to offset only estimated 14MW of SCE generation under

Normal Operation conditions. Current generation sources are listed below:

SCE: 35% Generated Western Area Power Administration (WAPA) Hydropower: 58% Generated On-Site Solar PPA: 7% Generated

Additionally, below are some examples of potential REOI responses from potential offerors. These examples are not intended to limit the proposed technologies, merely to clarify intent.

The base interconnection with existing or new local renewable production sites that include battery storage facilities.

- Could supply power to the installation to offset peak utility rates

- Would be dedicated to Edwards AFB during grid outages

- Could include a third-party financed, on-site battery energy storage system that provides load management and demand response services to the local utility and the California Independent System Operator (CAISO) wholesale energy market to generate revenue and provide energy resilience to the installation

Request for Expressions of Interest (REOI) Page 3 of 5

Gas Peaker plant connected to Edwards AFB that would be designed to island the base during grid outages:

- When renewables in California are unable to meet the peak load, the Gas Peaker plant could help meet the peak load for California

- Would be dedicated to the installation during grid outages

Furthermore, the REOI responses should include the following:

(1) Name and brief description of the entity (i.e., partnership, corporation, public or private organization, etc.)

(2) Business and web site addresses

(3) Points of contact, including names, positions, telephone numbers and e-mail addresses for the submitted information.

(4) Relevant experience, or comparable commercial experience, in developing, constructing and operating energy generation assets

(5) Description of proposed technology to include:

(a) Potential capacity in MWs, islanding capability, interconnection configuration and other requirements (e.g., water, fuel, infrastructure, equipment)

(b) Reasons for suggesting the specific technology and plan

(c) Expected annual fuel requirements and responsibilities for the proposed configuration

(6) Notional project development timeline to reach operational status

(7) Area and location of land required for the proposed concept

(8) If applicable, description of how this concept would utilize Renewable Energy

Credits (RECs) and/or ancillary grid services markets to generate revenue.

(9) Proposed ownership model, to include operation and maintenance responsibilities

(10) Proposed acquisition strategy

(11) Estimated cost breakout, based on proposed ownership model and acquisition strategies and ability to utilize tax, grant, and loan incentives available to Energy Community and Rural Communities under the Inflation Reduction Act

Cultural statement- Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA), as amended, requires that the Department of Defense and its contractors take into account the effects of undertakings on properties listed or eligible for listing in the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) and to comply with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) to fulfill its mission objectives. The regulations for implementing Section 106 can be found at Title 36 Code of Federal Regulations [CFR] Part 800 (revised most recently in August 2004).

EIAP Statement- Pursuant to provisions of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), Title 42 United States Code (USC) Sections 4321 to 4347, implemented by Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) Regulations, Title 40, Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) §1500- 1508, and 32 CFR §989, Environmental Impact Analysis Process, the potential environmental consequences associated with any Request for Expressions of Interest (REOI) shall be analyzed and result in one of the following prior to approval of any project: Categorical Exclusion (CATEX), Environmental Assessment (EA) with a Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI), or

Request for Expressions of Interest (REOI) Page 4 of 5

Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) with a signed Record of Decision (ROD). The proponent shall be responsible for the cost and contracting out of any EA or EIS.

Questions regarding this REOI should be submitted via email only to Mr. Joshua Vasquez (joshua.vasquez.5@us.af.mil), Ms. Stacey Stuart (stacey.stuart@us.af.mil), and Ms. Cinthia Arias (cinthia.arias@us.af.mil) no later than 4:00pm PDT on 12 Apr 2024. The Government intends to consolidate all questions received and provide “Question & Answer” document back to interested parties by or on 26 Apr 2024. Please note, questions submitted after the due date specified above may not be considered or answered.

Interested parties should submit their REOI responses via e-mail ONLY to Mr. Joshua

Vasquez (joshua.vasquez.5@us.af.mil), Ms. Stacey Stuart (stacey.stuart@us.af.mil), and Ms.

Cinthia Arias (cinthia.arias@us.af.mil) no later than 4:00pm PDT on 22 May 2024. The response files shall be in Microsoft Word or PDF format not exceeding ten (8.5 inches x 11 inches) pages and 10 Megabytes. Facsimile submissions will not be accepted. Cover letters and extraneous materials (brochures, pamphlets, etc.) will not be considered. The Government will analyze the submitted information and determine among other things the most appropriate generation technology and acquisition strategy.

An on-site Industry Day to present your solution just to the Air Force is scheduled for the week of July 15, 2024. Our intent is to provide interested parties a one (1) hour block of time to present your solution to the Government, along with pertinent information on your company, teaming partners, subcontractors, etc. as applicable. Interested parties are directed to contact the Contracting Team by or before 4:00pm PDT on 26 June 2024, as temporary passes will be required/issued for installation access. We request that each interested party provide one (1) list of their attendees, to include teaming partners or subcontractor (as applicable). All parties interested in attending the Industry Day must submit the required information via email ONLY to Mr. Joshua Vasquez (joshua.vasquez.5@us.af.mil), Ms. Stacey Stuart (stacey.stuart@us.af.mil) AND Ms. Cinthia Arias (cinthia.arias@us.af.mil). Interested parties are required to submit information for all attendees, only those who have been submitted by the due date specified above will be permitted to attend the Industry Day. For individuals with current base access, you are only required to provide the name of the attendee(s) with a note stating they already have base access. However, the following information shall be provided for all attendees who do not already have base access by the date specified above:

- Full Name (including Middle)

- Last 4 of Social Security Number (SSN – please do NOT submit a copy of your

SS Card or the full SSN)

- Date of Birth

- Drivers License Number

- Drivers License State of Issue

- Drivers License Expiration Date

- U.S. Citizen (Yes or No)

- Place of Birth (City and State)

We appreciate your interest and thank you, in advance, for responding to this REOI. We kindly ask that interested parties respond to this REOI no later than 4:00pm PDT on 22 May

Request for Expressions of Interest (REOI) Page 5 of 5

2024, so as to permit the Government team to evaluate responses prior to the industry day. Please note that there are other due dates for submittal of questions, Industry Day attendee list, etc.

noted in prior sections of this REOI. If you have any further questions, concerns, or require additional information regarding this REOI, please contact all of the following via email ONLY:

Mr. Joshua Vasquez (joshua.vasquez.5@us.af.mil), Ms. Stacey Stuart (stacey.stuart@us.af.mil) and Ms. Cinthia Arias (cinthia.arias@us.af.mil) by the questions due date noted in a previous section of this REOI. Thank you!

JOSHUA P. VASQUEZ, NH-III, DAF

Branch Chief, AFTC/PZIOB Directorate of Contracting

3 Attachments:

1. Air Force Office of Energy Assurance Letter of Support (1 page)

2. Map of SCE Transmission Lines (1 page)

3. Table of Usage for Edwards AFB (1 page)

DEPARTMENT OF THE AIR FORCE

WASHINGTON DC

22 February 2024

FROM: AIR FORCE OFFICE OF ENERGY ASSURANCE

2530 Crystal Drive, 8th Floor Arlington, VA 22202

SUBJECT: Letter of Support for Request of Expressions of Interest at Edwards Air Force Base

To Whom It May Concern, I am writing this letter to express support of Edwards Air Force Base’s (AFB) Request for Expressions of Interest (REOI) seeking to identify opportunities to enhance energy resilience at the installation.

Edwards AFB’s REOI aims to identify parties interested in siting energy generation and/or a battery energy storage system at Edwards AFB to support operation of critical missions in the event of an outage or hazard. AF OEA hopes this REOI will lead to a solicitation for projects at Edwards AFB. AF OEA supports this REOI and believes that it has the potential to enhance energy resilience at Edwards AFB, establish industry partnerships, and benefit the surrounding community.

This letter does not create or constitute any legally binding or enforceable funding commitments, obligations, or contracts.

Very respectfully, Kirk A. Phillips, GS-15, DAF

REOI Attachment-1 "Air Force OEA Letter of Support" (1 page)

REOI Attachment-1 "Air Force OEA Letter of Support" (1 page)

Substation 19

Substation 3B

Substation

Substation CORUM Substation

Substation Kramer

Junction

Substation

Substation 182Switch

Station EB

Switch Station 1A

Switch Station 1

Substation 1-C

Substation

Substation 11A

Substation North Base

Substation 16

Substation 2 Substation

Substation 20 Substation

Substation 17

Substation

SCE Overhead Transmission Lines and Sub-station Locations Edwards Air Force Base, California I

0 1.5 3 4.5 60.75 Miles

Prepared By: 412 CEG/CENME, Execution Support, 08182023

Legend

INSTALLATION BOUNDARY

SUB-STATION

SCE OWNED TRANSMISSION LINE

REOI Attachment-2 "Map of SCE Transmission Lines (1 page)

REOI Attachment-2 "Map of SCE Transmission Lines (1 page)

Table One ‐ Edwards Air Force Base Electric Usage

FY2023

SCE Generated WAPA‐Generated EAFB‐Solar Muli‐Family Solar*

Month Kwh ‐ Year Kwh ‐ Year Kwh ‐ Year Kwh ‐ Year

Jan 6,134,923 5,083,000 248,969 300,472

Feb 5,157,603 4,589,214 317,579 348,548

Mar 1,710,113 9,061,000 444,177 537,845

Apr 1,420,369 8,749,000 634,897 292,370

May 2,021,671 9,061,000 683,269 671,911

Jun 2,419,492 8,749,000 660,509 671,911

Jul 5,674,493 9,061,000 647,011 372,248

Aug 5,541,155 9,061,000 612,343 372,248

Sep 3,594,386 8,746,560 557,472 372,248

Oct 6,544,422 5,080,000 380,526 763,199

Nov 5,653,237 4,920,000 296,732 0

Dec 5,883,537 5,083,000 222,738 85,503

51,755,401 87,243,774 5,706,222 4,788,501

* estimated

REOI Attachment-3 "Table of Usage for Edwards AFB" (1 page)

REOI Attachment-3 "Table of Usage for Edwards AFB" (1 page)