U.S. national laboratories will see an infusion of cash from the Inflation Reduction Act, amounting to $1.5 billion to fund facility upgrades, modernized infrastructure, and deferred maintenance projects.
According to U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm, the funding represents one of the largest ever investments in national laboratory infrastructure. Specifically, the funding includes $294 million for "Basic Energy Sciences" and $303 million for "High Energy Physics," both of which contain multiple laser- and synchrotron-related projects. Among the projects receiving funding are the Linac Coherent Light Source-II High Energy at SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, receiving $96 million; the Advanced Light Source Upgrade at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, receiving $96.6 million; and the Matter in Extreme Conditions Petawatt Upgrade at SLAC, receiving $10 million.
More information and a breakdown of the funding are available at www.energy.gov/science/articles/fact-sheet-inflation-reduction-act-supporting-future-doe-science.
*This article has been updated to indicate the location of the Advanced Light Source at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.