Ameresco secures $53M federal prison contract

U.S. Federal Bureau of Prisons Ameresco will provide infrastructure upgrades that will increase utility system operating efficiency at the 776-acre Federal Correctional Complex Butner in North Carolina, pictured here.

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By Laura Finaldi

Framingham renewable energy company Ameresco has entered into a $53-million contract with the U.S. Federal Bureau of Prisons, an agreement that will reduce total power usage at a North Carolina correctional facility by 30 percent and cut annual energy and water costs by $3 million.

Under the contract, which was announced Tuesday by Ameresco, the company will provide infrastructure upgrades that will increase utility system operating efficiency at the 776-acre Federal Correctional Complex Butner in North Carolina.

The contract includes several specific upgrades. Ameresco will install a 3.1-megawatt solar photovoltaic system that will generate about 8.4 percent of the prison’s current annual electricity demand, add interior and exterior LED lighting fixtures and controls, and install new HVAC control system upgrades, chiller replacements, refrigeration system improvements and utility sub-metering installations. It will also institute water conservation measures projected to reduce the prison’s water consumption by 40 percent, according to Ameresco.

In total, the energy improvements will apply to more than 2 million square feet of correctional buildings and facilities, including a large federal medical center, two medium-security federal correctional institutions, a low-security correctional institution and a minimum security federal prison camp. Construction is expected to begin this fall and finish in 2019. During construction, all correctional buildings will remain fully occupied, Ameresco said.