In a cover letter to Energy Secretary Bill Richardson, transmitting the report of the Secretary of Energy Advisory Board (SEAB) Task Force on Fusion Energy (FPN99-37), SEAB Chairman Andrew Athy told the Secretary that "the fusion energy program must be led by strong management, capable of directing the program towards its goals at a reasonable pace." He said, "In addition to a sufficient budget ("on the order of $300 million per year"), it (the program) must have solid accountability and the availability of high-quality science and technology. In this connection, the task force recommended that the fusion energy program adopt new management techniques, including integrated program planning to better guide decisions, improve risk management, address problems and lower costs"

Athy told Richardson, "The Task Force warns that a strong management team must oversee the fusion energy program." He said, "the management team must ensure that fusion energy's effect on the environment is considered in an open, public forum to incorporate and address environmental concerns at the early stages of research and analysis." He said, "in order to realize the promise of fusion energy, the task force sees the need for stronger and more coordinated program management for fusion energy to meet this promise."

In the report itself (available at http://fire.pppl.gov/), the task force says, "Efforts to define a sensible path leading to a substantial energy contribution from fusion should be given continuing emphasis." They say, "It is crucial that this planning encompass the identification and timely resolution of the important engineering and economic problems that must be overcome if fusion energy is to be a practical energy source." The report says, "Management should seek to restore credibility by articulating clear and sensible milestones and goals and to deliver on them." It states, "Given constrained budgets, the wide variety of options, and the linkages of one issue to another, increasingly sophisticated management of the program will be required."

The Task Force report calls for "the application of new management tools and techniques." It says, "Given the complex nature of the fusion effort, an integrated program planning process is an absolute necessity." It says, "Proper management of the fusion program requires a comprehensive planning system that: provides visibility of program activities; provides the means to manage by performance; encourages fundamental, innovative scientific research; drives resource planning; provides linkage of accomplishments to goals; establishes accountability; encourages the development of trained personnel; describes activity interrelationships, and aids in integration among the base programs in OFES and DP and the fusion energy goal of practical fusion energy."

The full text of Athy's letter to Richardson follows:

Dear Secretary Richardson:

On behalf of the Secretary of Energy Advisory Board, I am pleased to send you "Realizing the Promise of Fusion Energy," the final report of the Fusion Energy Task Force. At your request, the task force conducted a thorough review and analysis of all of the Department of Energy's fusion energy technologies, both inertial and magnetic, in order to recommend the role that each of those technologies should play in the national fusion energy research program. Since its first meeting in March 1999, the task force held four public meetings in connection with the preparation of this report.

Several government bodies and advisory panels have reviewed the nation's fusion energy programs and the task force sought to build on those efforts. Toward that end, the task force limited its scope to the Department's fusion energy program. Excluded from this review was the inertial confinement fusion program, which is being pursued as part of the Department's nuclear weapons stockpile stewardship program.

Given the growing energy demands worldwide, the eventual limits of fossil fuel supplies, and the scientific advances already achieved in fusion energy research, the task force recommends that the Department pursue fusion energy aggressively. In recent years, the Department has refocused and redirected its fusion energy program. After careful consideration, the task force endorses the revised focus of the program.

Among its key findings is a call to engage Congress in a meaningful dialogue designed to establish a better understanding of fusion energy and the need to participate in a burning plasma experiment. The task force concluded that the current funding level for fusion energy is subcritical. Funding on the order of $300 million per year will be required to support an appropriately balanced fusion energy program. The task force also concluded that the fusion energy program must be led by strong management, capable of directing the program towards its goals at a reasonable pace. In addition to a sufficient budget, it must have solid accountability and the availability of high quality science and technology. In this connection, the task force recommended that the fusion energy program adopt new management techniques, including integrated program planning to better guide program decisions, improve risk management, address problems and lower costs.

Although the Task Force has completed its review and analysis, several questions that were outside the scope of work will remain topics of public debate. The SEAB encourages the Department to consider these issues in a frank and open forum as the fusion energy programs proceed. As the leader in the development of this energy source, the Department must not allow the momentum of future projects cost and scale to jeopardize a full debate about the fusion energy program. The Department has a responsibility to take an active role in the future public discussions that are inevitable given the evolving scientific, technical and environmental complexities associated with fusion energy. At the forefront of this debate are questions about the environmental and national security impacts of the fusion energy program.

The Task Force warns that a strong management team must oversee the fusion energy program. As fusion energy requires progress on a variety of fronts including the scientific, engineering, and economic, it is premature to focus on one of many hurdles that must be overcome prior to realizing the potential of fusion. Although fusion holds the promise of a new and abundant source of power, the technology to harness and commercialize fusion energy has not yet been developed, leaving the actual environmental impact open for debate. Existing federal law requires that the environmental impact be assessed before the commitment of significant federal resources in the construction of a prototype. However, the management team must ensure that fusion energy's effect on the environment is considered in an open, public forum to incorporate and address environmental concerns at the early stages of research and analysis.

As DOE pursues parallel paths that encourage both classified weapons work of the Inertial Confinement Fusion (ICF) program and the unclassified research for commercial purposes which is the crux of the Inertial Fusion Energy program funded by the Office of Science, the Department must be ever mindful of classification guidelines, management controls, and openness with Congress. This level of attention must be sufficient to assure that the security of weapons aspects of ICF research are not compromised in the process of allowing open collaboration and exchange between the Defense Programs work and the non-classified research into inertial fusion energy. As always, DOE must also work with the appropriate Federal agencies to make sure that the ICF program is in compliance with all United States treaty obligations.

Finally, in light of recent revelations of cost overruns, SEAB intends to form a subcommittee to assess the technical and programmatic risks associated with the assembly and installation of the laser system of the National Ignition Facility (NIF). This subcommittee will provide recommendations on the best technical course of action to be undertaken to assure the timely and successful completion of the NIF project, the cornerstone of the Department of Energy's Stockpile Stewardship program. The results of this assessment will also have an impact on the Department's fusion energy program.

In summary, the Task Force on Fusion Energy concluded that fusion energy's promise is great and its potential should be pursued. However, in order to realize the promise of fusion energy, the task force sees the need for stronger and more coordinated program management for fusion energy to meet this promise. This is required to ensure that as the science evolves, the remaining issues will be considered in a public, frank and responsible manner.

Sincerely,

Andrew Athy (SEAB) Chairman