World famous today as Music City, USA and home of the Grand Ole Opry, Nashville, Tennessee is a vibrant city of more than half a million people, named by Fortune magazine as one of the 15 best U.S. cities for work and family and by Forbes Magazine as one of the 25 cities most likely to have the country's highest job growth in the next five years.

The Metro Nashville District Energy System (DES) provided heating and cooling to buildings in downtown Nashville for nearly 30 years, relying on an aging trashburning plant with limited reliability and capacity. Despite numerous efforts to improve operations and safety and increase capacity, the facility struggled to remain economically and environmentally viable. Nashville Metro Council retained Constellation Energy's Projects & Services Group to design, develop and operate a new state-of-the-art $46 million district energy system. Constellation worked to increase the interim efficiency of the old plant while constructing the new, resulting in a seamless transition for all downtown customers. The facility- completed seven months ahead of schedule-began operation in December 2003. The first new building completed within Nashville's Gateway Project corridor, Nashville's mayor called it "a true catalyst for downtown economic development."

The new DES facility has the capacity to provide 23,400 tons of cooling and 260,000 lbs/hour of steam heat. It is projected to save Nashville about $66.9 million from new plant and reduced trash-disposal costs by 2014 in addition to lowering heating and cooling costs significantly for downtown customers. The facility currently provides heating and cooling for approximately 40 downtown buildings, including the State Capitol and other government buildings; the NFL's Tennessee Titans stadium; the Gaylord Entertainment Center, home of the NHL Nashville Predators; and a number of privately owned office buildings and hotels.

The project was financed entirely with municipal bonds. The City of Nashville retains ownership of the facility. Constellation Energy's Projects & Services Group will operate and maintain the facility under a 15-year agreement. The facility is run 24-7 with a full-time staff of 25.