Fusion Energy Advisory Committee Report: Budget Scenarios

As reported in FYI #13, the Department of Energy’s Fusion Advisory Committee reviewed three budget scenarios for fusion funding in fiscal year 1997 and beyond. The committee’s recommendations for a fusion energy program at annual budget levels of $250 million and $275 million are presented, in full, below. The committee also examined the case of a budget significantly lower than $250 million, but found it would result in “a very painful conflict” among program goals.

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THE CONSTANT LEVEL OF EFFORT ($250M) CASE: In response to the congressional budget guidance of a constant level of effort, we will speak to a $250M FY97 budget. To move resolutely to a restructured program, the following must occur in FY97:

- TFTR operations must cease during FY97, running at high utilization for a fraction of the year, and at a significant reduction from a full utilization budget. With this action, we have made some painful choices. The TFTR is a $1B facility that is now in a period of extraordinary scientific productivity, exploring newly discovered regimes with new diagnostics in a deuterium- tritium environment. For lack of ~$25M, we are forced to terminate this program prematurely, foregoing unique scientific opportunities to study plasma self- heating and reacting- plasma phenomena. It is unclear when these lost opportunities would return.

- DIII- D and C- Mod and the leading smaller facilities must move toward full, maximally productive utilization.

- The ITER- EDA commitment is constant in as- spent dollars at the renegotiated lower level, with scope determined in consultation with our international partners.

- There must be increases in plasma science and alternates, with PPPL taking the lead in some of the effort, and including greater international collaboration.

- There must be modest increases in materials and technology budgets.

- There must be a reduction in the total DOE program staffing, including field offices.

This plan begins the recommended redirection on a flat budget. It better utilizes the surviving facilities, which are currently subcritical. It continues to strain our ability to deliver our ITER commitment for the remainder of the ITER- EDA. It abandons the unique scientific opportunities lost by the premature termination of TFTR.

In the outyears in the constant level of effort case, we envision the following.

- Continued full utilization of DIII- D and C- Mod at least through 2001, including some upgrades, as user facilities to pursue the rich science to be gained.

- A growing portfolio of new experiments including one or two smaller but scientifically aggressive new facilities, at least one taking advantage of the PPPL infrastructure.

- A robust theory and modeling program.

- A fundamental plasma sciences budget in the range of 5% of total funding for the base program.

- A growing materials and technology effort, including capturing that part of our technology program now dedicated to ITER- EDA, and redirecting it to new technologies.

- A potential commitment to ITER construction determined by a rigorous review of the ITER design and in consultation with our international partners, but with any increase over the current ITER- EDA level requiring overall budget growth.

- A growing set of international collaborations which focus our niche strengths on major science and technology goals.

THE $275M CASE: A $275M budget in FY97 would allow the restructuring to proceed with much less destructive consequences than the $250M case. Specifically,

- It would allow the highest- priority scientific opportunities on TFTR to be exploited before terminating its operation during FY98

- It would enable us to strengthen our support of the ITER- EDA and restore some of our original commitments.

- It would allow more vigorous pursuit of new directions that are at the core of the restructuring.

- It would allow more productive near-term utilization of DIII- D and Alcator C- Mod.

For these reasons, we conclude that the goals of the restructured fusion program can be accomplished most effectively at a funding level of $275M.

In FY98 and beyond, stable funding at $275M would allow the United States to pursue some aggressive small- scale fusion science initiatives after the TFTR is closed, to remain abreast of international developments in fusion science and technology, and to continue world leadership in selected specialties. such niche leadership is essential for us to be sought by international partners as a valued participant, though perhaps minor monetary contributor, for internationally launched major facilities, starting with ITER, defining the path to fusion energy production.

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FYIs #15 and 16 will provide further details on the FEAC meeting and briefing to Martha Krebs, DOE’s Director of Energy Research. The full report is expected to be available on DOE’s Office of Fusion Energy Home Page at http://wwwofe.er.doe.gov