Since the acquisition of the plant in 2022, the Department of Administrative Services (DAS) hired a consultant to develop a decarbonization study of the CAS facility to identify potential scenarios to meet the stated objectives.
The study initially identified 22 potential scenarios and evaluated key metrics such as emissions impacts and cost. That list was further refined to identify the top-performing scenarios based on three priority categories:
- Lifetime carbon reduction
- Lowest cost, and
- A balance of the other two categories
In addition, in June 2023, DAS published a scoping notice for the subject project to the Council on Environmental Quality’s environmental monitor to solicit public comments.
After reviewing the public comments and consulting with other state agency partners, including the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, the Office of Policy and Management, and the Office of the Governor, DAS is proceeding with a project to replace and upgrade the existing mechanical infrastructure of the CAS facility to a system that includes a hybrid water source heat pumps and natural gas boilers at high temperatures. The water source for the heat pump is the existing condenser water loop that serves the water-cooled chillers. The cold side of the heat pump is used to increase the efficiency of the electric chillers that serve the chilled water loop. The remaining hot water load will be met by the high-efficiency natural gas boilers.