Robins meets mandate with Georgia Power partnership Published Jan. 8, 2010 By Wayne Crenshaw 78 ABW/PA ROBINS AIR FORCE BASE, Ga. -- A new contract with Georgia Power will allow Robins to meet its mandated goal of having five percent of its power come from renewable energy sources. The base recently signed a two-year contract with Georgia Power to buy 40 percent of the company's alternative energy production. Most of that is generated from a power plant in Dekalb County that is fired by methane gas from the Seminole Landfill. The agreement makes Robins the largest buyer of Georgia Power's renewable energy. "Robins Air Force Base is meeting its renewable energy goals through Georgia Power's Green Energy Program," said David Dykes, Georgia Power's federal segment manager. "Their participation is a huge commitment toward the development of renewable energy in the Southeast and a clear demonstration of the Air Force's commitment to renewable energy." Robins is required to buy five percent of its energy from renewable sources, which amounts to 16 million kilowatt-hours. The Georgia Power agreement meets that goal, said Paul Kelley, chief of operations of the 78th Civil Engineer Squadron. Although the energy from the landfill and the other alternative sources isn't directly sent to Robins, the agreement means that Robins is purchasing that energy as a portion of its overall power usage, Kelley said. Also helping meet the 5-percent requirement is a separate but similar agreement with Flint Energies. Flint provides energy to the Museum of Aviation and the agreement means the base is purchasing the amount of energy produced by methane from the Taylor County landfill. The energy being used is enough to power the museum's Eagle Building, according to a press release.