[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 76 (Monday, April 20, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Page 21842]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-08312]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY


Cost-Sharing Partnerships With the Private Sector in Fusion 
Energy

AGENCY: Fusion Energy Sciences (FES) Program, Office of Science (SC), 
Department of Energy (DOE).

ACTION: Request for information (RFI).

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SUMMARY: The United States Department of Energy is developing a plan 
for a possible cost share program in fusion reactor technologies. This 
RFI invites interested parties to provide DOE-SC input on the topical 
areas, program objectives, eligibility requirements, program 
organization and structure, public and private roles and 
responsibilities, funding modalities, and assessment criteria of such 
an initiative.

DATES: Written comments and information are requested on or before May 
15, 2020.

ADDRESSES: The DOE Office of Science is using the http://www.regulations.gov system for the submission and posting of public 
comments in this proceeding. All comments in response to this RFI are 
therefore to be submitted electronically through http://www.regulations.gov, via the web form accessed by following the 
``Submit a Formal Comment'' link near the top right of the Federal 
Register web page for this RFI.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Requests for additional information 
may be submitted to Dr. John Mandrekas, (301) 903-4923, 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Recognizing the recent surge in interest and 
investments by the private sector in the development of fusion energy, 
the DOE-SC FES program has been exploring partnership initiatives to 
leverage the private sector efforts, with the objective of accelerating 
progress toward the realization of fusion energy and solidifying U.S. 
leadership in this critical energy technology of the future. As a first 
step, FES launched the Innovation Network for Fusion Energy (INFUSE) 
\1\ program which provides private-sector fusion companies with access 
to the expertise and facilities of DOE's national laboratories to 
overcome critical scientific and technological hurdles in pursuing 
development of fusion energy systems. INFUSE is modeled after the 
successful Gateway for Accelerated Innovation in Nuclear (GAIN) voucher 
program \2\ established by the DOE Nuclear Energy (DOE-NE) Office. As 
in the GAIN voucher program, INFUSE does not provide funding directly 
to the private companies, but instead provides support to the 
partnering DOE laboratories to enable them to collaborate with their 
industrial partners.
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    \1\ Innovation Network for Fusion Energy (INFUSE), https://infuse.ornl.gov/.
    \2\ Gateway for Accelerated Innovation in Nuclear (GAIN), 
https://inl.gov/research-program/gain/.
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    As a next step, DOE-SC is exploring cost share partnership programs 
where the funding is provided directly to the private-sector companies 
under a performance-based milestone-driven approach. Such a program 
could be modeled after successful milestone-driven cost share programs 
established by other DOE offices or federal agencies, such as the Small 
Modular Reactors (SMRs) \3\ and the non-voucher part of GAIN programs 
of DOE-NE, as well as NASA's Commercial Orbital Transportation Services 
(COTS) program.\4\ DOE is also exploring the establishment of a fusion 
public-private partnership cost share program in reactor technologies.
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    \3\ Advanced Small Modular Reactors (SMRs), https://www.energy.gov/ne/nuclear-reactor-technologies/small-modular-nuclear-reactors.
    \4\ National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Commercial 
Orbital Transportation Services (COTS), https://www.nasa.gov/commercial-orbital-transportation-services-cots.
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    Request for Information: The objective of this request for 
information is to gather input about the topical areas, program 
objectives, eligibility requirements, program organization and 
structure, public and private roles and responsibilities, funding 
modalities, and assessment criteria of such an initiative.
    DOE-SC is not announcing an intention or an interest in procuring 
goods and services for its use. This RFI makes no statement about the 
possibility that DOE-SC might issue one or more solicitations for 
either procurement or financial assistance activities in the future. 
DOE-SC seeks input about how best to create a public benefit through 
expanding partnerships with the private sector in the field of fusion 
energy.
    Comments containing references, studies, research, and other 
empirical data that are not widely published should include copies of 
the referenced materials. Note that comments will be made publicly 
available as submitted. Any information that may be confidential and 
exempt by law from public disclosure should be submitted as described 
below.
    Confidential Business Information: Pursuant to 10 CFR 1004.11, any 
person submitting information he or she believes to be confidential and 
exempt by law from public disclosure should submit via email: One copy 
of the document marked ``confidential'' including all the information 
believed to be confidential, and one copy of the document marked ``non-
confidential'' with the information believed to be confidential 
deleted. DOE will make its own determination about the confidential 
status of the information and treat it according to its determination. 
Factors of interest to DOE when evaluating requests to treat submitted 
information as confidential include: (1) A description of the items, 
(2) whether and why such items are customarily treated as confidential 
within the industry, (3) whether the information is generally known by 
or available from other sources, (4) whether the information has 
previously been made available to others without obligation concerning 
confidentiality, (5) an explanation of the competitive injury to the 
submitting person which would result from public disclosure, (6) when 
such information might lose its confidential character due to the 
passage of time, and (7) why disclosure of the information would be 
contrary to the public interest.

    Signed in Washington, DC, on April 9, 2020.
Chris Fall,
Director, Office of Science.
[FR Doc. 2020-08312 Filed 4-17-20; 8:45 am]
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