Vicinity Energy Extends 20-Year Contract with Mercy Medical Center, Including Steam Infrastructure Improvements and Chilled Water Service Expansion

Vicinity Energy, has extended its contract with Mercy Medical Center into the next 20 years. The agreement will combine three existing Vicinity steam contracts under a single agreement, implementing improvements to existing steam infrastructure, and significantly expanding chilled water service to the medical campus.

Located in Maryland, Mercy Medical Center’s relationship with Vicinity’s robust district energy system dates back to 1963. Vicinity historically supplied 32,500 pounds per hour of steam to the entire campus and 425 tons of chilled water for the Weinberg Building annually. With this new contract, Vicinity will now supply the Mercy campus with a total of 1,725 tons of chilled water per year from its central chilled water system, quadrupling the cooling output and bringing Mercy Medical Center’s buildings under a single chilled water and steam agreement. Vicinity will also perform annual preventive maintenance for Mercy’s steam mechanical rooms. Vicinity will tie the district chilled water into Mercy’s existing chilled water facility to keep both resources available for added redundancy to the hospital.

The project consolidation will improve system efficiency for the medical center by reducing energy costs and decreasing annual maintenance spend. The project is expected to be completed in August 2021 and will include the relocation and replacement of 900 feet of steam piping along Saratoga Street from Charles to Calvert. Vicinity will also be expanding and extending its chilled water system 550 feet east along Saratoga Street to serve Mercy and future customers in this section of Baltimore. The upgrade and replacement of existing steam mains and the addition of new chilled water piping will also bring street beautification along Saratoga Street to Calvert Street, with road repaving and aesthetic improvements to public spaces.