Rep. Scott Peters Lauds Massive Renewable Energy Deal Between US Navy and San Diego’s Sempra Energy

SAN DIEGO – Today, Congressman Scott Peters (CA-52) was at Naval Base Coronado for the signing of the largest renewable energy purchase in history by an American federal entity. The deal between the U.S. Navy and Sempra Energy will bring solar energy from the new Mesquite 3 facility in Arizona to power portions of 14 Navy and Marine Corps installations across California, including every installation in San Diego County. There are seven military bases in the 52nd Congressional District.

“The U.S. Department of Defense is the largest institutional consumer of energy in the world,” Peters said. “By investing in alternate sources and diversifying their energy supply portfolio, the DOD can lead the way in advancing renewable energy technologies. And that is what our military leaders want – both in the United States and on bases around the world. It provides the military with the tools necessary to complete missions safely and efficiently. This deal is a big leap forward.”

At the signing, Congressman Peters introduced Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus, and was joined on stage by President and CEO of Sempra U.S. Patricia Wagner as well as Senior Vice President of the Western Area Power Administration Ronald Moulton.

Last month, Congressman Peters reintroduced the “Department of Defense Energy Security Act (DODESA),” which would help the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) reduce energy use, boost combat effectiveness through fuel supply diversity, and speed up the development of advanced technologies to improve military energy efficiency. He recently wrote about the legislation in a post on Medium. The Congressman also successfully fought to include military energy efficiency and fuel supply diversity programs in this year’s National Defense Authorization Act.

###