EBJ News for June 11, 2019
ICF awarded $48 million for EPA health risk contract
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has awarded ICF (Fairfax, Va.) a five-year re-compete contract to conduct human health risk assessments. The single-award indefinite delivery, indefinite quantity contract has a ceiling value of $48 million. Under the agreement, ICF will expand on its human health risk assessment work with EPA and develop innovative methods and analysis tools for conducting scientifically defensible assessments of chemical hazards and other environmental stressors.
Tetra Tech wins $25 million Anacostia River sediment contract
The District of Columbia Department of Energy and Environment Department has awarded Tetra Tech Inc. (Pasadena, Calif.) a $25 million contract for technical support services to assess and remediate contaminated sediments in the Anacostia River. The river is “heavily urbanized” and flows through the nation’s capital. Under this five-year contract, Tetra Tech will define areas of sediment contamination and begin designing the remedy using predictive modeling, field sampling, and data analytics.
LevelTen’s procurement platform diversifies renewable energy risk
LevelTen Energy (Seattle, Wash.) has helped Starbucks secure a three-project renewable energy portfolio from three developers: ALLETE Clean Energy, Apex Clean Energy, BayWa r.e. and Cypress Creek Renewables. The portfolio is comprised of wind and solar farms in North Carolina, Oklahoma and Texas and custom-built for Starbucks. LevelTen’s algorithms calculated which combination of “project slices would offer Starbucks the ideal blend of risk mitigation, value creation, and local community engagement.” The portfolio of power purchase agreements (PPAs) will supply more than 3,000 U.S. Starbucks stores and communities by 2021. LevelTen also announced raising another $20.5 million in a Series B funding.
Trinity acquires ECOSA in the UK
Trinity Consultants Inc. (Dallas), an international EHS consulting firm, has acquired Ecological Survey & Assessment Limited (ECOSA, North Baddesley, U.K.). ECOSA helps clients comply with ecology regulations, secure consents and protected species licenses, and deliver ecological compensation measures. ECOSA’s ecologists are licensed to address protected species including bats, hazel dormouse, and great crested newt. The company’s founder and Managing Principal Ecologist Simon Colenutt will continue to lead the team. Trinity Consultants has offices across the United States and in Canada, the U.K., the Middle East, and China.
Clean energy plan approved in Michigan
Consumers Energy (Jackson, Mich.) has received approval from state regulators for its Clean Energy Plan, “ushering in a new era for renewable energy in Michigan.” Consumers Energy, Michigan’s largest energy provider, says the plan puts it on a path to eliminate coal; reduce carbon emissions by over 90%; and meet customers’ future electricity capacity needs with 90% clean energy resources by 2040.
B&V to construct battery energy storage in Utah
Black & Veatch (B&V, Overland Park, Kansas) has been selected by Rocky Mountain Power, a division of PacifiCorp, to engineer and construct a battery energy storage system for Panguitch, Utah. Black & Veatch will install a 650-kilowatt array of solar panels routed to a 1-megawatt, 5 megawatt-hour energy storage system. The system will enable PacifiCorp to avoid having to upgrade traditional infrastructure. Such projects “are chipping away at old notions of the intermittency of renewable energy… and increasing the availability and resilience of the electricity supply,” said Dave Leligdon, senior vice president and director of renewable energy for B&V’s power business.
Germany grows environmental industry revenues
Revenues generated by Germany’s environmental protection sector rose to €74 billion in 2017, up from €70 billion in 2016, according to the country’s Federal Office of Statistics: Climate protection represented €49.4 billion; renewable energy usage €24.4 billion; and improvements in energy efficiency and energy savings €23.6 billion. The statistics office also reported 67% of new residential buildings completed in 2018 are heated by energy from renewable sources. While Germany is ahead of schedule in its transition to renewable energy, a report by the European Court of Auditors concluded the EU must generate more electricity from wind and solar power if it is going to meet its renewables targets. The EU aims to generate a fifth of its energy from renewables for electricity, heating and cooling and transport use by the end of 2020.
Danish EPA picks Golder for selective demolition study
Golder (Mississauga, Canada) has been chosen as the environmental consultant for the Danish Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) assessment of “selective demolition.” Construction and demolition waste accounts for approximately 25-30% of all waste generated in the EU. Golder’s role includes mapping the economic and environmental consequences of widespread use of selective demolition. Golder will work with Deloitte, DAKOFA, Lauritzen Advising and the Danish Technological Institute on this project.
SEPA releases 2019 utility solar snapshot
In 2018, the U.S. solar market added 7.3 GW of interconnection capacity, a 20.1% growth in total capacity over 2017, bringing the cumulative solar total to 49.7 GW, according to the Smart Electric Power Alliance’s (SEPA) 2019 Utility Solar Market Snapshot. Nationally, the utility-supply solar market was the highlight with 15.1% growth, driven by emerging state markets in Florida, Texas, Minnesota, South Carolina and Oregon. Residential and non-residential markets experienced year-over-year growth rates of -6.3%, and -18.2%, respectively. 2018 was the largest year for corporate renewable procurements, with 75 companies procuring a total of 6.5 GW, compared to 50 companies and 4.5 GW added in 2016 and 2017 combined.
Terracon acquires two environmental firms
Terracon (Olathe, Kansas), an employee-owned consulting engineering firm specializing in environmental, facilities, geotechnical, and materials services, has acquired Environmental Services Inc. (ESI) and Geotechnical & Environmental Consultants Inc. (GEC). The acquisitions enhance Terracon’s geographic presence and services in Georgia and the Southeast. Headquartered in Jacksonville, Fla., ESI is a full-service environmental consulting firm providing environmental and natural and cultural resource solutions. GEC is an environmental, geotechnical, and construction materials consulting firm headquartered in Macon, Ga., with offices in Columbus and LaGrange, Ga.
AECOM secures major contract with Irish Water
AECOM (Los Angeles, Calif.) has secured a contract with Irish Water to provide resident engineering staff for the national provider’s major capital investment program. AECOM will act as Resident Engineer on projects including the construction and upgrade of water and wastewater treatment plants and water and sewerage networks, as well as reservoirs and dam infrastructure. This is a three-year contract, with the option to extend by two years. AECOM is growing its 120–strong water team in Ireland to help deliver the contract and expects more than 100 people to be working on the program at its peak.
ATS partners with Probiotic Solutions
Advanced water treatment company ATS Innova (Midvale, Utah) is partnering with Probiotic Solutions (Gilbert, Ariz.) on concentrated liquid wastewater remediation featuring Micro Carbon Technology. The partnership expands ATS’s offerings and Probiotic Solutions’ geographical reach. ATS will carry the full Probiotic Solutions line for water treatment facilities worldwide to complement the ATS Innova MB microbiological product line.
