PPPL will receive $13.8 million in Recovery Act funding

Princeton - Princeton - The U.S. Department of Energy's Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory will receive a two-year federal grant of $13.8 million as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). The grant, which was announced Tuesday, Aug. 4, by DOE, includes $8.8 million for a variety of initiatives in fusion energy research and $5 million for infrastructure improvements at the laboratory. PPPL is one of 10 DOE national laboratories in six states receiving funding at this time through ARRA, the economic stimulus bill signed by President Barack Obama earlier this year. The stimulus funding will be in addition to PPPL's regular budget allocations for fiscal years 2009 through 2011. "We are pleased that stimulus funding is being made available for Princeton's fusion energy research program," said PPPL Director Stewart Prager. "The additional research capabilities enabled by this funding will accelerate the advancement of understanding in plasma science, fusion science and fusion technology, which form the knowledge base needed for an economically and environmentally attractive fusion energy source." PPPL, which is funded by DOE's Office of Science and managed by Princeton University, is a collaborative national center for science research and innovation leading to an attractive fusion energy source.