The Idaho National Laboratory has dedicated its new Energy Innovation Laboratory on the Idaho Falls Research and Education Campus.
John Grossenbacher, Battelle Energy Alliance President and INL Laboratory Director, hosted special guests including Idaho Gov. C.L. “Butch” Otter; U.S. Rep. Mike Simpson (Idaho); Pete Lyons, Department of Energy (DOE) Assistant Secretary for Nuclear Energy; David Danielson, DOE Assistant Secretary for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy; and Ron Townsend, Executive Vice President for Battelle Memorial Institute.
The new facility has 148,000 square feet of reconfigurable laboratory research space, plus a meeting space where visitors and the public can attend seminars and educational events.
“Our new Energy Innovation Laboratory adds significant research capabilities that will materially contribute to the modernization and transformation of America’s nuclear energy systems and infrastructure,” said Grossenbacher.
The new laboratory enables a variety of cutting-edge research, including work related to next-generation materials required for advanced nuclear reactors and enhanced resilience of the nation’s electrical grid and control systems.
“The Department of Energy is invested in the future of Idaho National Lab,” DOE Assistant Secretary for Nuclear Energy Pete Lyons said. “That investment will support the development of advanced nuclear fuels, processes and control rooms to meet the current challenges facing the nuclear energy industry, and they in turn will provide for the energy needs of the nation.”
“The Department of Energy’s national laboratories provide core research capabilities, and play a vital role in deploying clean energy technologies through long-lasting, public-private partnerships,” DOE Assistant Secretary for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy David Danielson said. “This collaborative, customizable space will enable lab researchers, industry, and academic partners to accelerate clean energy innovations and environmentally sustainable technologies that can help tackle today’s energy challenges.”