February 11, 1997

FPN97-5 Fusion Program Notes

DOE FY 1998 Budget Request

President Clinton has sent his Fiscal Year 1998 (for the year beginning October 1, 1997) Budget Request to Congress. The request includes $16.6 billion for the Department of Energy "Core Budget" (compared to this year's $16.2 billion) plus an additional $1.6 billion in budget authority to complete construction projects in future years. The latter action is a departure from the Department's historic practice of asking for budget authority year-by-year to finish construction projects. This practice has led to frequent schedule slippages and cost overruns. If Congress agrees (by no means certain) the inertial confinement fusion National Ignition Facility (NIF) would be a major beneficiary. $876 million is requested in budget authority to complete the $1.1 billion facility, with $229.1 million of this to be spent in FY 1998.

The DOE budget request contains $225 million for the Office of Fusion Energy Sciences (OFES), compared to 225.1 million this year. This year's budget contained an additional $7.1 million for "computational support" which, in FY 1998, would be included in the budget for the Computational and Technology Research program, a separate program within the DOE Office of Energy Research. Although the OFES budget in total is constant, there are some significant changes in the distribution. The request projects that cessation of operations of the Tokamak Fusion Test Reactor (TFTR) at Princeton will free up $24.836 million, which would be redistributed as follows: Increase in National Spherical Torus Experiment ($7.6 million); Princeton scientists working abroad ($1.965 million); Increase DIII-D at General Atomics ($7.464 million); Increase Alcator C-MOD at MIT ($2.464 million); Increase Alternative Concepts Research (4.11 million); Increase General Plasma Science (1.0 million); Increase small scale plasma experiments (0.233 million). OFES continues to hold down spending on the civilian aspects of inertial confinement fusion, providing only $6.9 million, compared to this year's $7.0 million and an FY 1996 level of $7.8 million. DOE advisory committees have indicated that a level of $10-15 million is required in order to allow the civilian fusion energy program to be in a position to capitalize on the projected success of the National Ignition Facility under construction within DOE's Defense Programs office. The OFES requests $54.5 million for participation in the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) project, essentially the same as in FY 1997 and 1996. The OFES says, "The planning assumption for U.S. involvement in any future ITER construction was changed from significantly increased participation to participation at the current level."

Within its Defense Programs category, the DOE asks for $414.8 million for inertial confinement fusion, compared to this year's $336.46 million. Of the requested amount, $229.1 million would be spent on NIF construction, compared to this year's $191.1 million. In addition, as indicated earlier, the DOE is requesting full financial authorization to complete the NIF project.

Elsewhere in the DOE request, increases are sought for programs in Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (27.1%), civilian Nuclear Energy (36.2%), and defense Nuclear Energy (18.2%). The overall budget for the Office of Energy Reseach is $2.5 billion, up 2.9% from FY 1997.

For more information, contact: Stephen O. Dean