Office of Nuclear Energy facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Assistant Secretary of Energy for Nuclear Energy of Office of Nuclear Energy |
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 Kathryn Huff since May 11, 2022 |
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| United States Department of Energy | |
| Reports to | Under Secretary of Energy for Science and Innovation |
| Appointer | President of the United States |
| Formation | April 3, 2006 |
| First holder | Dennis Spurgeon |
The Office of Nuclear Energy (NE) is a part of the United States Department of Energy. Its main job is to help the U.S. use nuclear power safely and effectively. This means finding ways for nuclear energy to provide power, protect the environment, and keep the country secure. They do this by solving problems through research and new discoveries.
The Office is led by the Assistant Secretary of Energy for Nuclear Energy. This person is chosen by the President of the United States and approved by the United States Senate. The current Assistant Secretary is Kathryn Huff.
Contents
What the Office of Nuclear Energy Does
The Office of Nuclear Energy has four main goals for its research. These goals help guide all their work:
- They work on new technologies to make current nuclear reactors more reliable. They also aim to keep them safe and help them last longer.
- They try to make new nuclear reactors more affordable. This helps nuclear energy become a bigger part of meeting the country's energy needs. It also helps with climate change goals.
- They develop ways to use nuclear fuel over and over again. This makes the fuel cycle more sustainable and creates less waste.
- They work to understand and lower the risks of nuclear weapons spreading. They also try to prevent nuclear terrorism.
How the Office is Organized
The Office of Nuclear Energy is overseen by the Under Secretary of Energy for Science and Innovation. The Assistant Secretary of Energy for Nuclear Energy (NE-1) runs the Office. This person is chosen by the President of the United States.
The Assistant Secretary gets help from a main deputy and five other deputy assistant secretaries. Each of these five deputies is in charge of a different part of the Office's work. As of 2022, here's how the Office was set up:
- Assistant Secretary
- Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary
- Deputy Assistant Secretary – Nuclear Infrastructure Programs - Tracey Bishop
- Deputy Assistant Secretary – Spent Fuel and Waste Disposition - Paul Murray
- Deputy Assistant Secretary – Nuclear Fuel Cycle and Supply Chain - Dr. Jon Carmack
- Deputy Assistant Secretary – International Nuclear Energy Policy and Cooperation - Aleshia Duncan
- Deputy Assistant Secretary – Reactor Fleet and Advanced Reactor Deployment - Alice Caponiti
- Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary
Idaho National Laboratory
The Office of Nuclear Energy is in charge of the Idaho National Laboratory (INL). INL is located in southern Idaho, in a desert area. It covers about 890 square miles (2,300 km²) and is about 42 miles (68 km) from Idaho Falls.
INL is a special lab that helps the U.S. Department of Energy. They do research on nuclear energy, national security, and clean energy. In the past and present, they have helped create:
- New nuclear reactor designs.
- Test reactors for the U.S. Navy.
- Ways to manage nuclear waste.
INL also researches how to develop nuclear fuel. They also work on showing and using new nuclear energy technologies.
Lab History
INL started in 1949. It was first called the "National Reactor Testing Station." It was created by the United States Atomic Energy Commission. This is where the Experimental Breeder Reactor Number I (EBR-I) is located. EBR-I was the very first nuclear reactor to make usable electricity.
CASL Project: Simulating Nuclear Reactors
The Consortium for Advanced Simulation of Light Water Reactors (CASL) began in July 2010. It was one of the first special "Innovation Hubs" created by the Department of Energy. The Office of Nuclear Energy managed this project. It was also coordinated by Oak Ridge National Lab and INL.
CASL had one big goal: to create a computer program that could perfectly model how a nuclear reactor works. This program could even show details down to a single fuel rod. This was much more detailed than any tools available before. This special program was called the Virtual Reactor. It was designed to help solve many challenges with how reactors perform.
To build what was later called the Virtual Environment for Reactor Applications (VERA), CASL had to do a lot of basic research and technology development. This big and complex work was done by working together. The U.S. government, universities, and private companies all partnered up. The CASL project finished in 2020. Now, companies in the nuclear industry can use VERA.
Leaders of Nuclear Energy
The Assistant Secretary of Energy for Nuclear Energy is the main leader of the Office of Nuclear Energy. This person is in charge of a large budget. For example, in 2021, the budget was $1.626 billion.
- Parties
Status
Acting Assistant Secretary of Energy for Nuclear Energy
| Portrait | Name | Took office | Left office | President(s) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| George W. Cunningham | 1979 | 1981 | Jimmy Carter | ||
| Shelby Brewer | 1981 | 1984 | Ronald Reagan | ||
| A. David Rossin | 1986 | 1987 | |||
| William H. Young | 1989 | 1993 | George H. W. Bush | ||
| Dennis Spurgeon | April 3, 2006 | 2009 | George Bush | ||
| Pete Miller | 2009 | November 2010 | Barack Obama | ||
| Peter Lyons | April 14, 2011 | June 30, 2015 | |||
| John Kotek | 2015 | January 2017 | |||
| Edward McGinnis | May 2017 | November 2017 | Donald Trump | ||
| Rita Baranwal | July 11, 2019 | January 8, 2021 | |||
| Dennis Michael Miotla | January 8, 2021 | May 10, 2021 | Joseph Biden | ||
| Kathryn Huff | May 10, 2021 | January 19, 2022 | Joseph Biden | ||
| Andrew Griffith | January 19, 2022 | May 11, 2022 | Joseph Biden | ||
| Kathryn Huff | May 11, 2022 | Incumbent | Joseph Biden | ||
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See Also
- Advanced Fuel Cycle Initiative
- High-temperature electrolysis
