Dominion Energy has been designated as the leader of a project funded by the Texas Military Preparedness Commission to improve energy resiliency for rail operations at Fort Cavazos, Texas. Dominion Energy has selected Innovative Rail Technologies (IRT) to provide its ATLAS lithium-ion battery-electric propulsion system for the initiative. The project was the top-scoring proposal chosen for funding and will result in the conversion of one of the U.S Army’s diesel locomotives to battery electric.
The project provides Fort Cavazos not only with a cost-effective way to update and expand mission capabilities of one of its aged legacy diesel locomotives with IRT’s state-of-the-art ATLAS propulsion technology but also to collaborate with the electric utility service provider, federal, state, and local government officials on base readiness, infrastructure resilience, community coordination, and environmental justice objectives. The battery system on ATLAS locomotives is capable of providing a significant source of back-up power during emergency events, including cyber-attacks, providing an additional layer of operational readiness.
“The Dominion Energy Fort Cavazos Team is looking forward to partnering with Innovative Rail Technologies on this extremely significant electric locomotive switcher project. Having the opportunity to partner on a project that brings this capability to Fort Cavazos, the Army and Department of Defense is outstanding. The environmental, reliability and cost savings benefits this is going to bring will be more than innovative – it can be a game changer,” said Kevin M Mann, Dominion Energy’s Manager of Privatization – Fort Cavazos.
IRT is expected to begin the rebuild of the Fort Cavazos locomotive immediately and deliver it to Fort Cavazos by the end of 2024.
