U.S. Department of Energy Secretary Rick Perry approved a five-year extension of Battelle’s contract with the Idaho National Laboratory, contingent upon successful negotiations of terms and conditions, an INL news release said.
Idaho Falls Mayor Rebecca Casper lauded the extension. Casper serves on the state advisory Leadership in Nuclear Energy Commission 3.0.
“Lab management and achievement for the past 13 years have been stellar,” Casper said in a prepared comment. “Idaho Falls has a great many research projects and ventures with INL, and we could not be more pleased to have this kind of continuity for our citizens. I believe a great many lives and families have been impacted for the better by this early announcement.”
Battelle’s initial contract to manage INL was awarded in 2004. The base contract began in 2005 and extended to 2014, when DOE exercised a five-year option that extended the contract to Sept. 30, 2019. The new five-year extension ends Sept. 30, 2024.
“This announcement underscores the tremendous impact the laboratory continues to have on our nation’s energy and security challenges,” INL Director Mark Peters wrote to lab employees. “It also shows the well-placed confidence that DOE has in each one of you. As I’ve said many times, I’m grateful to each of you. It is because of your dedication and determination that we are able to accomplish our important mission for our nation.”
Read the full press release in the Post Register.