Photo By William Farrow | Huntsville Center recently completed a $58 million third-party financed UESC project...... read more read more
REDSTONE ARSENAL, Ala. – A utility company contracted by the U.S. Army Engineering and Support Center, Huntsville (Huntsville Center) recently completed a $58 million third-party financed agreement project at one of the Army’s largest installations.
Huntsville Center’s Utility Energy Services Contracts (UESC) project at Fort Bliss, Texas, implemented three Energy Conservation Measures (ECMs): LED lighting upgrades, water security, and resilience through microgrid and energy storage. It is predicted to save the installation more than $136 million over the lifespan of the 24-year contract.
For the Fort Bliss project, New Mexico Gas Company (NMGC) was selected as the Utility Contractor. Partnering with Energy Systems Group (ESG), an Energy Services Company (ESCO) – NMGC assessed the energy savings opportunities, fronted the capital costs, and designed and installed various ECMs.
The UESC contract also calls for NMGC to perform operations and maintenance on the microgrid ECM, allowing Fort Bliss Department of Public Works maintenance resources to be spent on other activities while allowing the garrison to focus its appropriated funds on mission critical requirements.
The return for NMGC is payment from the resulting savings over the length of the contract. The project’s goal is to provide resilience through the microgrid and energy storage systems to power 40 percent of its critical facilities. The contract also addresses water infrastructure and security needs while decreasing energy and water consumption.
A project of this magnitude didn’t come without challenge, said Aubrey Glynn, project manager for this UESC.
Working closely with Fort Bliss Department of Public Works (DPW) staff, particularly the garrison’s energy manager, Marivi Travieso, the UESC Project Delivery Team (PDT) was able to overcome challenges with schedule constraints, pricing, material availability, design around existing utilities and permitting.
Travieso recalls the water infrastructure improvement portion of the project as being uniquely problematic. “One of the most confounding issues, was with the water system as the transmission waterline originates from the Tobin well field, located north of main cantonment area, and terminates in a developed industrial area with high utility congestion,” Travieso said.
To get around the congestion, Fort Bliss Water Service Company (FBWSC) planned and designed a 20-inch diameter waterline to run across major roadways, existing sanitary sewer mains, storm drains, high pressure gas mains and other conflicting utilities.
Due to the impact of the FBWCS waterline plan’s functionality of the water system, FBWSC had to submit the plans to the Texas Commission of Environmental Quality for review and approval prior to commencement of construction activities. FBWSC had to account for this planning and permitting within the already tight schedule.
Upon construction completion FBWSC had to make additional improvements to the Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) and chlorination facilities to be able to seamlessly transition from water purchased from El Paso Water (EPW) utility to FBWSC well water on a moment’s notice.
These improvements provided much needed ease of use to the FBWSC operations team to meet system demands on either water source. Since the project completion in 2024 the monthly water purchase by Fort Bliss from El Paso Water reduced on average by 49%, a decrease that directly correlates with cost savings.
The success of the Fort Bliss project, Glynn said, is in generating energy savings.
However, she said that it took buy-in from a lot of different stakeholders to ensure the project’s accomplishment.
“Our success is a product of the solid working relationships built between Huntsville Center, Fort Bliss’ Department of Public Works, Fort Bliss Garrison leadership, ID, Army Installation Management Command, Army leadership and our utility team partners, NMGC and ESG," Glynn said.
Fort Bliss is the second-largest Army installation covering 1,700 square miles in west Texas and southern New Mexico. Home to the 1st Armored Division, Fort Bliss has more than 40,000 people working out of more than 2,000 buildings (not including housing) on the installation.
Huntsville Center is considered the Army's expert in UESCs with projects completed or in progress at Forts Irwin, California; Fort Detrick, Maryland; Forts Gordon and Stewart in Georgia, Fort Polk, Louisiana, Fort Campbell, Kentucky; Fort Bragg, North Carolina, Joint Base Lewis McChord, Washington and Anniston Army Depot, Alabama. The UESC program also has projects Warner-Robbins Air Force Base in Georgia and the Pentagon.
| Date Taken: | 02.02.2026 |
| Date Posted: | 02.03.2026 12:04 |
| Story ID: | 557356 |
| Location: | REDSTONE ARSENAL, ALABAMA, US |
| Web Views: | 46 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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