DOE FY 1999 Request: Fusion and Basic Energy Sciences

Below are details about the Department of Energy’s FY 1999 budget request for Fusion Energy Sciences and Basic Energy Sciences. (Note: As always in comparing budgets from year to year, some funding changes may result from items being shifted to different accounts.) Quotes are taken from the DOE FY 1999 Congressional Budget Request “Budget Highlights” document.

FUSION ENERGY SCIENCES:

“The FY 1999 budget request for Fusion Energy Sciences is $228.2 million, a $1.5 million [or 0.7 percent] decrease below the FY 1998 appropriation [of $229.7 million.] The program will focus on fusion science, including fusion plasma and general plasma experimental research and alternative concepts to tokamaks. Princeton will complete fabrication and start operation of the National Spherical Torus Experiment (NSTX) in FY 1999 (FY 1998 $12.1 million; FY 1999 $5.5 million), a project which will address fundamental plasma and fusion science issues in an ultra compact tokamak. Upgrade of the DIII-D facility is also continued (FY 1998 $2.4 million; FY 1999 $2.7 million), and there will be significant increases in research and operations of the DIII-D and Alcator C-Mod facilities. The Fusion Energy Sciences program will maintain a position of leadership in general plasma science research and increase emphasis on innovative magnetic confinement configurations other than the tokamak.

“The International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) Engineering Design Activity (EDA) is completed in FY 1998. The program will continue to participate in the ITER process to support international collaboration in fusion, including the evaluation of a variety of options for a next generation machine. The U.S. plans to participate in the post-EDA work at a reduced level appropriate for a party not offering a candidate construction site.”

Highlights of Program Changes to Fusion Energy Sciences (Total Change from FY 1998: -$1.5 million; items listed do not sum to total):

-$7.8 million Funding related to TFTR operations and research continues to decline following shutdown of the facility in FY97. +$10.1 million Assembly of the National Spherical Torus Experiment (NSTX) is completed in FY99; operations and research activities begin. -$52.6 million The ITER EDA is completed in FY98. +$12.0 million ITER joint baseline design (post-EDA) is funded in FY99. +$39.1 million ITER EDA funds are redirected as follows: research and operations of DIII-D and Alcator C-Mod (+$6.8 million); fusion and plasma technologies and advanced design (+$24.8 million); alternate concepts experiments (+$5.8 million); and, fusion theory (+$1.7 million.) Some addition fusion research is funded within DOE’s Defense Programs, as part of the Department’s science-based Stockpile Stewardship of the nation’s nuclear weapons. In this account, $498.0 million is requested for Inertial Confinement Fusion (ICF), an increase of $84.5 million from FY 1998 funding of $413.5 million. Under the ICF heading, $284.2 million is requested for construction funding for the National Ignition Facility (NIF), and $6.8 million is requested for NIF operations and maintenance.

BASIC ENERGY SCIENCES:

“The FY 1999 budget request for Basic Energy Sciences is $836.1 million, a net increase of $168.8 million [or 25.3 percent] over FY 1998 [funding of $667.3 million.] Funding will support continuation of ongoing research activities, and operation of all user facilities in accordance with the Scientific Facilities Initiative. Materials and Chemical Sciences will fund high-priority, peer reviewed research, while also providing support for several scientific user facilities (FY 1998 $253.3 million; FY 1999 $285.6 million.)

“The High Flux Beam Reactor [at Brookhaven; closed due to a tritium leak] will be maintained in a safe operating condition, and evaluation of options for its future will continue (FY 1998 $22.9 million; FY 1999 $22.9 million.) Neutron research will be enhanced by upgrades at Los Alamos and Oak Ridge National Laboratories. Construction of the Spallation Neutron Source begins in FY 1999 at a level of $157.0 million. The Climate Change Technology Initiative is funded at $16.0 million, and will focus on energy efficient technologies, energy utilization, carbon sequestration and photosynthesis. The program also plans the start of new initiatives in Complex and Collective Phenomena which will support frontier research in complex systems, and the Partnership for Academic-Industrial Research (PAIR) which seeks to encourage interactions between basic and applied researchers in academia and industry.”

Highlights of Program Changes to Basic Energy Sciences (Total Change from FY98: +$168.8 million; items listed do not sum to total):

-$3.0 million Provide final year of construction funding for the Combustion Research Facility-II (FY98 $7.0 million; FY99 $4.0 million.) +$3.7 million Increase funding for operation of major scientific user facilities. +$16.0 million Initiate funding for the Climate Change Technology Initiative to include science for efficient technologies, low-carbon science, and sequestration science. +$5.6 million Funding for the design of the Spallation Neutron Source (SNS) is increased from FY98 $23.0 million to FY99 $28.6 million. +$128.4 million Initiate construction of the Spallation Neutron Source.