Beneath the streets of Oklahoma City, Vicinity Energy’s robust underground district energy network of piping distributes 99.99% reliable steam, hot water and chilled water to customers in the Central Business District. Used in space heating and cooling, domestic hot and chilled water, humidification, and sterilization, Vicinity Energy’s district energy system supplies thermal energy to some of Oklahoma City’s premier institutions and businesses, including the new Oklahoma City Convention Center. District energy is an innovative and resilient energy solution that involves the production of thermal energy at a central plant, eliminating the need to install or manage onsite boilers and chillers. District energy also offers our customers a green energy alternative, and Vicinity is on track to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2050.
Vicinity in Oklahoma City
Vicinity tackles global energy problems on a local level, with local resources. For over 50 years, the Oklahoma City district system – consisting of more than 2.3 miles of steam and hot water piping, and 6 miles of chilled water piping — has distributed reliable, resilient and sustainable energy to hotel and entertainment venues, commercial and residential space, and government complexes and civic centers.
Sustainable Energy for a Cleaner Future
Vicinity recently completed a major expansion of the district system to augment supply and provide back-up cooling and heating capacity, including an extension of the chilled water line and the installation of a state-of-the-art hot water plant. The facility utilizes high-pressure boilers with 600 pounds per square in gauge (PSIG) capacity to feed steam to city buildings. The excess steam from these boilers also drives industrial-grade, steam-turbine chillers and is supplied, through pressure- reducing stations, to the distribution system. Additional cooling capacity is derived from efficient electric-driven centrifugal chillers, providing multiple chilled water production methods to deliver unsurpassed reliability and resiliency. Vicinity is continually investing in greening efforts to generate energy through zero carbon, non-fossil fuel-based sources. And we’re not stopping there — Vicinity’s Clean Energy Future is our formalized commitment, vision and roadmap to achieve net zero carbon by 2050.
District Energy Benefits in Oklahoma City
In addition to improving Oklahoma City’s critical energy infrastructure and reducing its carbon footprint, with district energy, individual buildings don’t require onsite equipment — freeing up space for building amenities, eliminating the risk of onsite combustion, and reducing upfront capital and ongoing operations and maintenance (O&M) costs. Further, you get the peace of mind that comes with Vicinity’s 99.99% reliable energy delivery. Our interconnected central energy facilities have built-in redundancy, back-up generation and multiple water and fuel sources. So regardless of what’s going on in Oklahoma City, you can rely on district energy to help keep you up and running.