The University of Arkansas at Little Rock unveiled a new, on-campus power-generation plant today, Dec. 2, designed to help the university reduce energy costs and greenhouse gas emissions.
“It’s a step further in improving the physical infrastructure of campus,” UALR Chancellor Joel Anderson said at today’s ceremony.
The project, created under the direction of David Millay, UALR associate vice chancellor of facilities management, is about 15 years in the making, said Ed Tinsley, managing principal of Little Rock-based engineering firm TME, who also spoke at the ceremony.
Tinsley said the power-generation plant, now fully operational, is capable of powering the entire university campus, consisting of more than 60 buildings on 2.9 million square feet covering 250 acres. Existing campus buildings were also retro-commissioned to enhance energy efficiency, he said.
To ensure continued maximum efficiency, Tinsely explained that university officials receive a daily energy scorecard.
UALR embarked on a campus wide energy conservation project in 2013, aimed at reducing its annual energy costs of $5.8 million, by 20 percent by 2014 and 30 percent by 2017.
The university is already seeing savings from the plant, Tinsley said. In fiscal 2016, UALR’s energy costs are expected to be about $1.25 per square foot, compared with the national average of $2.68 per square foot for higher education institutions.
The plant will save UALR $2.6 million annually in energy costs. UALR’s conservation initiative cut greenhouse emissions by more than 35 percent and reduced energy consumption by more than 50 percent.
The generating station was completed a month ahead of schedule in July 2015 and about $200,000 under its $29.5 million budget.
The project was funded through a 17-year energy-savings service bond, Millay told AMP after the ceremony. He said construction also allowed for future growth
Millay said every cent that the university saves in energy costs can be passed along to the university and students in the form of scholarships or other programs.
The power-generation plant will also reduce the need to cancel classes because of power outages, Anderson said.
Today’s ceremony also featured remarks from UALR Student Government Association President Jacob Laan. Several state legislators, university officials and other stakeholders were in attendance.