Government Awards and Honors
2006 Elected Positions and Offices
Al Ankrum to lead consortium of four national labs providing technical assistance to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission
Al Ankrum was selected as program coordinator for a consortium of four national labs that have joined efforts to provide technical assistance to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission for new reactor licensing. The four laboratories are PNNL, Brookhaven, Oak Ridge and Argonne, and they anticipate substantial involvement in reviewing and evaluating the construction/operating license applications for as many as 20 new nuclear power reactors in the United States over the next few years. The estimated level of effort is about $80 million. Nineteen companies have announced they will seek licenses to build new power plants in the United States, with the first applications to be submitted to NRC in late 2007. Energy Secretary Samuel W. Bodman recently announced that DOE would provide $2 billion in federal risk insurance to companies applying to build nuclear power plants, part of a package of government incentives designed to encourage the building of the country's first nuclear reactors since the 1970s. "This is a positive sign for nuclear energy domestically after more than 30 years without construction of a new reactor in this country," says Al, who is PNNL's relationship manager for the NRC. (announced 10/18/2006)