42 U.S.C. § 16312 — Fusion energy sciences program

(a) Declaration of policy: It is U.S. policy to conduct research, development, demonstration, and commercial applications to build the scientific, engineering, and commercial infrastructure needed so the U.S. can compete with other countries in providing fusion energy for itself and others — including demonstrating electric power or hydrogen production for the U.S. grid using fusion energy as early as possible. (b) Planning (1) In general: Within 180 days of August 8, 2005, the Secretary had to submit to Congress a plan — with proposed cost estimates, budgets, and lists of potential international partners — for carrying out the policy in (a) in a way that ensures: (A) existing fusion research facilities are used more fully; (B) fusion science, technology, theory, advanced computation, modeling, and simulation are strengthened; (C) new magnetic and inertial fusion research facilities are chosen based on scientific innovation, cost-effectiveness, and their potential to advance practical fusion energy as soon as possible; (D) chosen facilities are funded cost-effectively; (E) communication between the fusion energy science community and the broader scientific and technology communities is improved; (F) inertial confinement fusion facilities are used, where practical, for inertial fusion energy research; (G) promising alternative inertial and magnetic fusion energy approaches are explored more fully; and (H) as far as practical, the workforce-planning recommendations of the March 2004 Fusion Energy Sciences Advisory Committee report are carried out, including periodically reassessing program needs. (2) Costs and schedules: The plan also had to address the status, and as far as practical the costs and schedules, for (A) designing and building international or national facilities to test fusion materials, and (B) designing and building facilities to test and develop key fusion technologies. (c) United States participation in ITER (1) In general: U.S. participation in building and operating the ITER project is authorized, as agreed under the April 25, 2007 "Agreement on the Establishment of the ITER International Fusion Energy Organization for the Joint Implementation of the ITER Project." The Director must coordinate and carry out U.S. responsibilities under that agreement. (2) Report: Within 1 year of this section's enactment, the Secretary had to report to Congress assessing the most recent ITER schedule approved by the ITER Council. (3) Authorization of appropriations: Out of funds authorized under section 18645(o), the following is made available to the Secretary to build ITER: (A) $374,000,000 for fiscal year 2021; (B) $379,700,000 for 2023; (C) $419,250,000 for 2024; (D) $415,000,000 for 2025; (E) $370,500,000 for 2026; and (F) $411,078,000 for 2027.