Reply To: Military Effects

[benf]

Does this represent progress?

Excerpt from the Energy and Water Development Appropriations Bill (pg. 95-96)
Senator Feinstein:

The Committee is concerned by the lack of a strategic vision,
which includes research and future facility needs, to advance the
domestic fusion energy sciences program. The Committee directs
the Secretary to submit a 10-year plan, not later than 12 months
after enactment of this act, on the Department’s proposed research
and development activities in magnetic fusion. The report shall (1)
identify specific areas of fusion energy research and enabling technology
development in which the United States can and should establish
or solidify a lead in the global fusion energy development
effort and (2) identify priorities for facility construction and facility
decommissioning.

The Committee recommends $183,502,000 for the U.S. contribution
to ITER. No funding shall be made available for the U.S. contribution
until the Secretary submits to this Committee a baseline
cost, schedule, and scope estimate consistent with project manage96
ment principles in DOE Order 413.3B of the U.S. contribution
needed for completing all construction activities.
The Committee is concerned by the rising costs of the ITER
project and the impact to the domestic program. The cost range for
the U.S. contribution for construction activities was between
$1,450,000,000 and $2,200,000,000. The most recent estimate is
$2,400,000,000 and this estimate only fulfills U.S. obligations for
first plasma, rather than all construction activities. The Committee
is further concerned that the latest cost estimate does not properly
account for the technical risk of building the most complicated engineering
facility in the world. The most recent cost range was developed
when the design for ITER was less than 40 percent complete.

The Committee also directs the Office of Science to include a
project data sheet with details of all project costs until the completion
of the project for ITER in the fiscal year 2015 budget submission.
The Committee understands that the Department provides
funding for ITER as a Major Item of Equipment rather than a line
item construction project, which would be consistent with DOE
Order 413.3B. However, the Committee feels that a multi-billion
dollar project, especially of this scale and complexity, should be
treated as a construction project and follow DOE Order 413.3B
guidance.