The U.S. Marine Corps Camp Lejeune base in North Carolina is one of five military installations to be wholly powered by renewable energy from two Duke Energy solar arrays under construction in South Carolina and expected to be operations in September 2026. Photo courtesy of U.S. Marine Corps

The military bases are the Army’s Fort Liberty, the Marine Corps‘ Camp Lejeune and Cherry Point Air Station bases, and the Seymour Johnson Air Force Base in North Carolina.

The Shaw Air Force Base in South Carolina also will obtain power from the two Duke Energy solar power plants that are under construction and expected to be operational by September 2026.

“By supporting the construction of new clean, renewable energy, we are enhancing our resilience in support of the warfighter and DOD’s mission,” Brendan Owens, the DOD’s chief sustainability officer, said in a news release Tuesday.

Owens said the two Duke Energy solar arrays will “deliver power exclusively to [the] DOD over the agreement’s 15-year term and contribute to a more reliable and resilient commercial electric grid.”

The DOD agreed to pay $248 million over 15 years to obtain an estimated 4.8 million megawatt hours of carbon-free solar energy from Duke Energy.

The federal government is the nation’s largest user of energy, and President Joe Biden in 2021 ordered federal agencies to achieve 100% carbon-free electricity usage by 2030.

Biden’s executive order requires government officials to ” support the growth of America’s clean energy industry … in ways that are good for taxpayers and communities,” said Andrew Mayock, chief sustainability officer at the White House Council on Environmental Quality.

Duke Energy recently undertook its Green Source Advantage program to provide renewable energy for the five military bases.

“As our large business customers plan for the future, they also have increasingly specific goals around decarbonization,” Duke Energy Vice-President Meghan Dewey said.

Dewey said those goal “require access to renewable energy sources that can support those needs.”

DOD officials agree.

“This project is a great opportunity to assist our military departments and our warfighters in their decarbonization goals,” Air Force Col. Jennifer Neris said.

The Army’s Assistant Secretary for Installation, Energy and Environment Rachel Jacobson said the Duke Energy partnership is “essential for delivering energy resilience for the Army.”