NEW CITY – County Executive Ed Day and Purchasing Director Paul Brennan announced that the County of Rockland, the Rockland County Sewer District No. 1, Rockland Community College and the Rockland County Solid Waste Management Authority have awarded a contract to provide 100% green/renewable electricity to each agency over the next three years. The County Purchasing Division managed a Cooperative Bidding process on behalf of the agencies and aggregated each agency’s demand to obtain more competitive pricing.
The contract with Engie Power & Gas will provide Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs) based on U.S. generated wind power which will match 100% of the agencies’ usage during the contract term.
The physical electricity the County receives through the utility grid says nothing of its origin or how it was generated, RECs play an important role in accounting, tracking, and assigning ownership to renewable electricity generation and use. On a shared grid, whether from on-site or off-site resources, RECs are the instrument that electricity consumers use to substantiate the purchase of renewable electricity.
Annual savings are projected to be $79,257 for the County, $95,118 for the Rockland County Sewer District, No. 1, $12,002 for Rockland Community College and $14,143 for the Rockland County Solid Waste Authority. In total, savings are projected at $601,560 for all agencies, over the three-year term of the contract.
“This contract is a win-win for local residents; we are saving significant taxpayer dollars while making use of 100% renewable electricity. I’m proud of each of these agencies for recognizing the importance of reducing greenhouse gas emissions and want to reaffirm Rockland County’s commitment to achieving New York State Climate Smart Communities Certification,” said County Executive Day.
Purchasing Director Paul Brennan stated that, “As part of the County’s Shared Service Initiative, the County’s solicitation and contract award allows other local governments to ‘piggyback’ on the County contract pricing, thereby eliminating the need for the local government to issue their own cooperative bid. This enables smaller local governments to take advantage of the aggregated purchasing power of the County, Sewer District, College and Solid Waste Management Authority. Local Governments interested in ‘piggybacking’ the contract for 100% Green Electricity can contact the County’s Purchasing Division at purchasing@co.rockland.ny.us.”
The competitive pricing offered by Engie Power & Gas was less than the County’s most recent contracted rate for non-renewable or standard brown electricity. The County’s Energy Consultant, Resolution Energy Group assisted in the Procurement.
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