DOD
Bob Hughes is Executive Director, Energy Initiatives at the Office of Deputy Secretary of Army/Energy and Sustainability for the U.S. Department of Defense.
The Secretary of the Army established the Office of Energy Initiatives in October 2014 to serve as the U.S. Army's central program management office for development, implementation, and oversight of privately financed, large-scale energy projects focused on achieving resilience on Army installations. The Office prioritizes projects for critical infrastructure on installations to ensure energy for mission readiness.
Projects aim to modernize energy systems to anticipate and mitigate increasing physical, natural, and cyber threats. In addition to the focus on energy resilience and security, OEI is tasked with increasing use of carbon-free energy through collaboration with the energy and utilities industry.
Public Utilities Fortnightly discussed this mission with Executive Director of the Army Office of Energy Initiatives Bob Hughes. It is important work as the Department of Defense is the nation's single largest energy consumer, accounting for more than one percent of the nation's total electricity use.
PUF's Steve Mitnick: Bob, you have an interesting job with the Department of the Army. What's a typical day like?
Bob Hughes: A typical day as the Executive Director for the Office of Energy Initiatives is a lot like any other day. It's typical for anyone who leads an office associated with the Department of Defense at the Pentagon.