Ranking Member Lofgren Applauds DOE Establishment of Inertial Fusion R&D Hubs
(WASHINGTON, DC) – Yesterday, the Department of Energy announced the establishment of three multi-institutional hubs to support research and development in inertial fusion energy technologies under a new program called Inertial Fusion Energy Science and Technology Accelerated Research (IFE-STAR). These hubs will build on the groundbreaking achievement of ignition at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory’s National Ignition Facility last year, as well as other important advances in fusion across the country over the last several years. They will be led by Colorado State University, the University of Rochester, and Lawrence Livermore and include nearly 30 important partners from leading universities, national laboratories, and the private sector.
"This action from the Department is an important step to accelerate the advancement of inertial fusion energy solutions," said Ranking Member Lofgren. "I was happy to join the Secretary when she launched the IFE-STAR program during a celebration of the breakthrough achievement of fusion ignition at the National Ignition Facility last year, and I am happy to see these research hubs launched across the country this week. I have been a strong advocate for the establishment of this very program for well over a decade. I’m encouraged that the Department is now following through on the strong direction provided by Congress in the bipartisan Energy Act of 2020 and the CHIPS and Science Act and look forward to continuing to track the progress of each of these impressive research teams.”
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