Sep 14 2010
Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC) (NYSE: SAI) today announced it was awarded a contract by USG Nevada LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of U.S. Geothermal Inc., a leading renewable energy company, to provide engineering, procurement and construction services for phase one of the San Emidio project -- construction of a geothermal power plant in northwest Nevada.
The contract has a 15 month period of performance and a contract value of more than $22 million. Work will be performed by SAIC's wholly owned, design-build subsidiary, The Benham Companies LLC. SAIC is also providing a project loan for the Phase 1 construction costs.
Geothermal energy is classified as a renewable source of electricity. It is considered to be a clean, environmentally friendly, sustainable method of electrical power generation. The San Emidio project encompasses the construction of a geothermal power plant in two stages. Phase 1 consists of relocation and replacement of an existing power plant, and no drilling is required since the new plant will utilize the production and injection wells currently in use by the existing power plant. The new 11.5 megawatt (MW) plant will have a net electrical output of between 9.1 and 8.1 MWs depending on seasonal and other variations, representing a significant increase in energy generation. Geothermal plants are designed to run 24 hours a day, every day with no emissions.
"The benefits of geothermal energy are far reaching -- since it does not burn fuel, energy production is clean, and renewable," said J.T. Grumski, SAIC senior vice president and business unit general manager. "We look forward to helping design and build this new generation power plant that produces renewable base load electricity, while mitigating environmental impact."
Source: http://www.saic.com/