Mar 23 2009
Oak Ridge National Laboratory officials announced today that construction will start in eight to 10 weeks on a major research facility made possible by $71.2 million from President Obama’s American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.
ORNL officials announced today that construction will start in eight to 10 weeks on a major research facility made possible by $71.2 million from the economic stimulus package
The funds are part of $1.2 billion announced by Secretary of Energy Steven Chu today from funding allocated under the Recovery Act to the Department of Energy’s Office of Science. The funds will support an array of Office of Science-sponsored construction, laboratory infrastructure, and research projects across the nation. The Secretary made the announcement during a visit to Brookhaven National Laboratory, in Upton, N.Y.
“Leadership in science remains vital to America’s economic prosperity, energy security, and global competitiveness,” said Secretary Chu. “These projects not only provide critically needed short-term economic relief but also represent a strategic investment in our nation’s future. They will create thousands of jobs and breathe new life into many local economies, while helping to accelerate new technology development, renew our scientific and engineering workforce, and modernize our nation’s scientific infrastructure.”
The ORNL allocation is part of $1.2 billion that Secretary Chu announced is being disbursed now in the first installment of a total of $1.6 billion allocated to DOE’s Office of Science by Congress under the Recovery Act legislation. Officials are working on details remaining to enable approval and release of the balance of $371 million.
ORNL Director Thom Mason said the first installment of stimulus funds released this week by DOE will be used to accelerate construction of a new chemical and materials sciences research building designed to replace an aging facility that contains a number of inefficient laboratories that are in need of repair. Built in 1952, the current facility is plagued with high energy costs, leaking underground pipes and unreliable utilities.
Mason said designs are nearly complete and contractors have been selected for the new 160,000 square-foot facility that will house some 200 researchers working on projects that include solar batteries, corrosion resistant materials, and superconducting transmission lines.
“There is an emphasis on moving quickly, and we are already making plans to move the existing parking lot and fence the construction area,” Mason said.
As a part of ORNL’s modernization standards, the new facility will be LEED certified by the Green Building Council for excellence in sustainability and low energy consumption. Lab officials said the stimulus funds will accelerate construction and enable the project to be completed in 2011, rather than 2012 as originally scheduled.
Other ORNL science projects slated for stimulus funding support include the Fundamental Neutron Physics Beamline (FNPB) at the Spallation Neutron Source and facility upgrades at the Center for Nanophase Materials Sciences, one of five Nanoscale Science Research Centers built by DOE’s Office of Science.