Fiscal Year 2010
Congressional Budget Request

The Administration’s FY 2010 request for the Office of Nuclear Energy proposes $845 million to support research and development on nuclear energy generation, security, materials, systems, safety, and waste management technologies and tools, and to operate and maintain nuclear infrastructure in a safe and compliant manner to support achievement of national energy, climate, and non-proliferation goals. A key mission of DOE’s nuclear energy research and development program is to plan and conduct applied research in advanced reactor and fuel and waste management technologies. The aim of these efforts is to enable nuclear energy to be used as a safe, advanced, cost-effective source of reliable energy that will help address climate change by reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

The Nuclear Power 2010 program is requesting $20.0 million in FY 2010 to complete support of industry interactions with NRC on the NuStart COL application project including meetings with the Advisory Committee on Reactor Safety, issuance of Final Safety Evaluation Reports and Final Environmental Impact Statements, and initiation of hearings by the Atomic Safety Licensing Board. By the end of FY 2010, component vendors and other private sector partners will have adequate incentive to complete additional work without further Federal funding.

The Generation IV Nuclear Energy Systems program (Gen IV) program is requesting $191 million for a broad range of research activities conducted in support of solving the underlying technology challenges (fuels, materials, and neutronic and thermofluids modeling) of advanced reactor technologies. This program will also pursue a competitively-awarded Energy Innovation Hub. The Modeling and Simulation hub will focus on providing validated advanced modeling and simulation tools necessary to enable fundamental change in how the U.S. designs nuclear power and fuel cycle technologies. This has the potential to improve the performance and reduce the costs of nuclear technologies.

The Fuel Cycle R&D program is requesting $192 million in FY 2010 for long-term, science-based research and development of technologies that can help address waste management concerns, reduce high level waste, and safely manage and dispose of long-lived, highly radiotoxic elements. These efforts could enable beneficial changes to the way in which nuclear fuel and waste is managed. This program will also pursue a competitively-awarded Energy Innovation Hub. The Extreme Materials Research hub will further the fundamental knowledge of the behavior of materials under extreme conditions, including high radiation fields, high temperatures, and corrosive environments over long periods of time, relevant to nuclear energy applications. This work will directly support the development of novel fuels, waste forms, and structural materials.

The Radiological Facilities Management program is requesting $77 million to maintain important DOE nuclear technology facilities in a safe, secure, environmentally compliant and cost-effective manner. This includes $30 million to begin reestablishing domestic capability for use in radioisotope power systems for National Aeronautics and Space Administration missions and national security applications. These agencies use Pu-238- based power systems where other power sources, such as batteries, fuel cells, and solar technologies, are not economical or technologically viable.

The Idaho Facilities Management program requests $203 million to support Idaho National Laboratory (INL) site-wide infrastructure used to ensure the Department’s nuclear energy research and development facilities are maintained and operated to support national priorities. Key activities conducted under this program include ensuring that all NE facilities meet essential safety and environmental requirements, managing all special nuclear materials contained in these facilities, and disposing of DOE materials under NE ownership.

The Idaho Site-Wide Safeguards and Security program ($83.4 million) protects DOE interests from theft, diversion, sabotage, espionage, unauthorized access, compromise, and other hostile acts, which could adversely impact national security, program continuity, the health and safety of INL employees, the public, or the environment.

Program Direction ($77.9 million) provides the federal staffing resources and associated costs required to provide overall direction and execution of the Department’s Nuclear Energy program.