FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Tammy Craft, Public Relations 601.359.3449
tcraft@mississippi.org
Jackson, Miss. (August 10, 2010) – The Mississippi Development Authority (MDA) recently awarded six grants to public entities in the first round of awards under the Performance Contracting grant program. Part of the State Energy Program (SEP) funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA), the Performance Contracting program allocated approximately $3.3 million to school districts, counties and the Mississippi State Hospital to fund a portion of large-scale energy conservation projects at their facilities.
“MDA has seen tremendous interest from businesses, government entities and residents throughout the state who are seeking to become more energy-efficient and lower their utility costs,” said Motice Bruce, director of MDA’s Energy Division. “These Performance Contracting awards will assist these six recipients in doing just that, and I commend them for taking steps to reduce their energy usage.”
The six awards represent approximately half of the funds available through the program. Additional awards will be made on a rolling basis as those entities that applied prior to the deadline complete the application process. No further applications are being accepted.
An Energy Savings Performance Contract is a partnership between the customer (a public entity) and an energy services company (ESCO). Performance Contracting can provide public entities with a means to overcome constrained capital budgets and address the challenges of aging and inefficient buildings and equipment and limited maintenance staff resources. A Performance Contract is a practical way for public sector entities to obtain and finance energy-saving projects for their facilities without upfront capital costs and without special appropriations to pay for the improvements. The customer and the ESCO negotiate a contract whereby the ESCO performs energy-efficient upgrades, retrofits and other energy saving measures. The project is funded with the energy savings produced from the project for some number of years. After that term, the annual savings accrue to the customer.
Through ARRA, the SEP provides $40.4 million to Mississippi for programs related to energy-efficient buildings, market transformation and technology deployment and job protection through energy economic development. In Mississippi, the SEP provides assistance to both public and private entities to move the state toward greater energy efficiency, energy independence and sustainability while creating and preserving jobs in the state.
To view a full list of grant recipients or for more information about this or other energy–related stimulus programs, visit http://stimulus.mississippi.org.
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About Mississippi Development Authority
Mississippi Development Authority is the State of Mississippi's lead economic and community development agency. More than 250 employees are engaged in providing services to businesses, communities and workers in the state. While the agency is best known for its efforts to recruit new businesses to Mississippi, the Authority provides services to promote tourism, help communities improve their quality of place, help existing employers identify and meet opportunities and challenges and help workers improve their skills – all with the goal of improving the quality of life and economic well-being of Mississippians. For more information, visit MDA's website at www.mississippi.org.
