Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport is allegedly making headway with a new zero-emission heating and cooling system.
The airport broke ground on Wednesday on its new electric central utility plant (eCUP), a $234 million renewable energy facility designed to replace its existing natural gas piping system with a hot water piping system powered by electricity, reported WFAA.
According to the project’s overview, the eCUP is being built to “address current and future heating and cooling demand, improve resiliency, maximize efficiency, and position [DFW Airport] to achieve Net Zero Carbon by 2030.”
Once the plant is completed in mid-2025, DFW airport said that it will “substantially decrease greenhouse gas emissions, improve local air quality by reducing ozone precursor emissions, and lower the plant’s water usage by 29%,” as well as “provide additional capacity for future airport growth.”
As previously reported by The Dallas Express, there has been ample criticism over the push to transition away from fossil fuels to renewable energy.
The Texas Public Policy Foundation claimed that “after decades of overinvestment in unreliable renewable energy generation and underinvestment in reliability measures, the electric grid was strained beyond its ability to provide Texans with steady power supply” during Winter Storm Uri in 2021.
Still, DFW airport CEO Sean Donohue claimed that the new eCUP system will be a “game changer,” according to WFAA.
“DFW Airport is investing in the future of sustainable aviation, and the addition of a fully electric utility plant is a major component of achieving net-zero carbon emissions from airport operations by 2030,” Donohue said, per a press release.
“As we prepare to build new gates and other critical infrastructure, we also will ensure that our growth is environmentally responsible and resilient. The eCUP will help us meet these goals and further our commitment to sustainability and innovation, while creating more than 1,400 jobs,” he added.
The press release claims that by phasing out the airport’s aging natural gas system with one fueled by renewable sources, the eCUP will ultimately reduce heating and cooling costs and improve regional air quality for the community.
“It has 1970’s technology. To put this in a clearer way — it’s as old as I am, which is really scary,” said Donohue, per WFAA.
The eCUP marks another significant investment in the airport’s commitment to the environment and the community, according to Chris McLaughlin, executive vice president of operations at DFW Airport.
“The eCUP will be a state-of-the-art facility that not only modernizes our infrastructure and prepares us for future growth, but also is a critical component of our goal of achieving net-zero emissions from airport operations by 2030,” McLaughlin told The Dallas Express.
“The eCUP will be powered by electricity purchased from 100% renewable sources and will reduce our overall power and water consumption at the same time,” he said.