Army Awards Dominion $61.5M Fort Hood Microgrid
The Army Corps of Engineers has selected Dominion for a solar and natural gas microgrid at the Texas base, with completion slated for 2029.
Updated on Nov. 2, 2026 in Utilities
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The Army Corps of Engineers awarded Dominion a $61.5 million contract to build a microgrid at Fort Hood, near Killeen, Texas. The system pairs solar canopies with natural gas engines and is designed to keep critical facilities powered during grid outages.
Why it matters
The project is intended to keep critical military operations running if the regional power grid fails, a concern that matters to Killeen residents who live alongside the installation. The Army also plans at least three more Fort Hood microgrid systems, signaling a broader push for energy independence on the base.
The $61.5 million contract covers a system serving about 2.9 MW of connected load, including 2.12 MW classified as critical, and is more than double the $31.5 million project cost listed in 2022 budget documents. The stub does not explain the reason for the difference, and the cost of the planned additional Fort Hood microgrids remains unknown.
The players
Army Corps of Engineers
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is the federal agency responsible for large-scale civil and military construction projects, including military installation infrastructure.
Dominion Energy
Dominion Energy is a major U.S. utility company that has increasingly pursued microgrid and distributed energy projects for government and private clients.
Fort Hood
Fort Hood is one of the largest U.S. Army installations, located near Killeen, Texas, and home to a major population of soldiers and their families.
The details
Dominion was named the intended sole-source contractor when the Corps announced the procurement in May 2025, using authority Congress provided for certain projects at installations with privatized utilities. The system will connect to a 12.47-kV distribution network, with automated switches allowing two feeders to separate during outages, and solar panels will sit on canopies behind Building 1001.
Timeline
2022: Defense budget documents listed a $31.5 million Phantom Warrior microgrid project cost.
May 2025: The Corps announced the procurement and named Dominion as intended sole-source contractor.
March 2026: Dominion received a separate $16.65 million contract for a Network Enterprise Center microgrid.
April 2026: The Corps awarded 14 firms positions on a 10-year, $2 billion microgrid contract.
Early May 2029: The Phantom Warrior microgrid is scheduled for completion.
Roadmap
The Fort Hood award follows the Energy Resilience and Conservation Investment Program, which lets installations with privatized utility systems use sole-source contracting for resilience projects. It marks an early application of that authority to a large multi-facility microgrid at an Army base in Texas.
Killeen residents may see greater power reliability in the surrounding area if the base's microgrid can island from the regional grid during outages. The system is designed to keep critical facilities running for 14 days without outside power.
The takeaway
Energy resilience at military bases is increasingly being built into local infrastructure, which can strengthen power reliability for nearby communities. Residents interested in how these projects affect regional utilities can track ongoing contract awards and completion timelines.
What happens next
The Phantom Warrior microgrid is scheduled for completion in early May 2029, and the Network Enterprise Center microgrid is scheduled for October 2028.
Further reading
Explore more Killeen utilities coverage to see how regional power infrastructure is evolving around the base.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Engineering News-Record (ENR) magazine.
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