The post, which has been vacant for almost two years,
will be filled by a superbly qualified nuclear technology manager
Rita Baranwal
The Idaho Falls Post Register reported this week that Rita Barta the head of the Gateway for Accelerated Innovation in Nuclear (GAIN) at the Idaho National Laboratory (INL) has been nominated to serve as the U.S. Department of Energy’s assistant secretary for nuclear energy.
The White House announced the nomination of Rita Baranwal, who heads GAIN, which DOE created in 2015 to support nuclear startups and help universities, industries and other private groups get nuclear technology to the market more quickly. GAIN is managed by Idaho National Laboratory.
In support of nuclear energy innovation, DOE-NE vouchers provide funds to assist applicants seeking access to the world class expertise and capabilities available across the United States (U.S.) DOE Complex.
GAIN seeks to provide the nuclear industrial community with access to the technical, regulatory , and financial support necessary to move new or advanced nuclear technologies toward commercialization.
The goal of the NE Voucher program is to accelerate commercialization of innovative nuclear energy technologies.
For a list of previous awards (two rounds), and how to apply for one, go to this page at the GAIN web site.
Previously, she was director of technology development and application at Westinghouse. She was a manager in materials technology at Bechtel Bettis. She led research and development in nuclear fuels materials for U.S. naval reactors.
Baranwal has a bachelor’s degree in materials science and engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and a doctorate from the University of Michigan. She also is on advisory boards for MIT’s materials research laboratory and the University of California, Berkeley’s nuclear engineering department.
Idaho National Laboratory Awards
Funding to Support Proposed Fast Spectrum Reactor
The Idaho National Laboratory announced this week nearly $3.9 million in funding for 13 university-led projects to develop instrumentation and tools needed to monitor and conduct experiments in a proposed fast spectrum test reactor. (list of awards)
The projects were awarded through the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Nuclear Energy’s Versatile Test Reactor program.
They are part of an effort to develop a conceptual design and cost estimate for a new, one-of-a-kind test reactor that would support advanced reactor research and development.
“Developing these instruments, tools and other experimental mechanisms are a necessary part of understanding what sorts of test capabilities are needed to advance the next generation of nuclear technology,” said Dr. Kemal Pasamehmetoglu, executive director of the Versatile Test Reactor program.
DOE’s Nuclear Energy Advisory Committee (NEAC) examined this issue and recommended in a 2017 report “that DOE-NE proceed immediately with pre-conceptual design planning activities to support a new test reactor (including cost and schedule estimates).”
The recommendation was based, partially, on responses from U.S. companies developing advanced reactors, many of which require different testing facilities than the commercial nuclear power technology in use today. Currently, there are only a few capabilities available for testing fast neutron reactor technology in the world and none in the United States.
In response to the NEAC recommendation, the DOE Office of Nuclear Energy established the Versatile Test Reactor program. DOE-NE is working with national laboratories, universities, and industry partners to develop cost estimates, a conceptual design, and potential schedule.
DOE is expected to decide whether to proceed with a fast spectrum irradiation test reactor in 2020. If approved, the intent is for the test reactor to be designed and built by domestic research entities and industry partners, continuing to establish U.S. leadership in nuclear energy innovation.
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