– Edited by April Murelio –
UT-Battelle has received a five-year extension of its contract to operate ORNL. Secretary of Energy Steven Chu announced the extension at a staff meeting in the ORNL Conference Center, during his first visit to ORNL as energy secretary.
UT-Battelle took over as ORNL contractor on April 1, 2000. In that period of time the Lab's budget has grown from about $500 million to $1.65 billion and a modernization campaign has transformed the campus and led to growth in several strategic programs, including neutron science, high-performance computing and bioenergy.
"The University of Tennessee and Battelle together make up one of the most successful partnerships in the national laboratory system. Both UT and Battelle, along with the state of Tennessee, contributed in unique ways to the accomplishments that marked our first 10 years at ORNL," says Lab Director Thom Mason (see Mason's message on UT-Battelle contract extension).
It's the second five-year renewal for UT-Battelle, the first coming in April 2005.
Video. Secretary Chu commented on the DOE-national labs relationship and UT-Battelle's contract extension as the Chemical & Materials Sciences Building construction progressed in the background. Dr. Chu's comments, as well as his entire address are available on YouTube.