[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 155 (Tuesday, September 18, 2018)]
[Senate]
[Page S6219]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




        RECOGNIZING THE TRANSIENT REACTOR TEST FACILITY RESTART

  Mr. CRAPO. Mr. President, along with my colleagues Senator James 
Risch and Representative Mike Simpson, today I wish to call attention 
to an important event taking place today at the U.S. Department of 
Energy's, DOE, 890-square-mile site in Idaho. Today, Idaho National 
Laboratory, INL, personnel ran the first experiments in the Transient 
Reactor Test, TREAT, facility in nearly a quarter century.
  Idaho National Laboratory is our Nation's lead nuclear energy 
research, development, and demonstration laboratory, the place where 52 
original nuclear reactors were constructed and demonstrated. One of 
those reactors was the TREAT facility, which operated from 1959-1994, 
and remained fully fueled while on standby status. Transient testing 
focuses upon testing nuclear fuel under accident conditions. TREAT is 
one of the most capable and flexible transient test reactors in the 
world.
  Following the accident at the Fukushima-Daiichi Power Plant in Japan 
7 years ago, Congress directed the DOE to develop reactor fuels that 
could better withstand accident conditions. During TREAT's 35 operating 
years, the reactor performed 6,604 reactor startups and 2,884 transient 
irradiations. Given this history, it made more sense to restart the 
facility than build a new reactor. That decision paid off when, on 
August 31, 2017, the Resumption of Transient Testing Program was 
completed more than 1 year ahead of schedule and approximately $17 
million under budget.
  This highly successful restart at the TREAT facility was recognized 
in August, when a joint DOE-INL team won the Secretary of Energy Award. 
This award recognizes DOE employees or contractors who accomplish 
significant achievements. It is the highest nonmonetary internal 
recognition that can be achieved at the DOE. U.S. Secretary of Energy 
Rick Perry highlighted the TREAT restart team's effort and efficiency, 
and recognized the importance of the facility to nuclear energy 
scientists and engineers as they work to develop advanced nuclear fuels 
and reactor technologies.
  Congratulations, INL and DOE, on the TREAT restart and for bringing 
back online an important national asset in the effort to develop the 
advanced nuclear reactors so vital to our economy, environment, and 
national security.

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