Lab To Receive $75 Million In Recovery Act Funding

The U.S. Department of Energy announced in March that Jefferson Lab will receive $75 million from President Obama's American Recovery and Reinvestment Act to fund construction of JLab's 12 GeV Upgrade project and to modernize infrastructure.

The funds are part of $1.2 billion announced by Secretary of Energy Steven Chu on March 23 from funding allocated under the Recovery Act to DOE's Office of Science. The funds will support an array of Office of Science-sponsored construction, laboratory infrastructure, and research projects across the nation.  The secretary made the announcement during a visit to Brookhaven National Laboratory, in Upton, N.Y.

"Leadership in science remains vital to America's economic prosperity, energy security, and global competitiveness," said Chu. "These projects not only provide critically needed short-term economic relief but also represent a strategic investment in our nation's future.  They will create thousands of jobs and breathe new life into many local economies, while helping to accelerate new technology development, renew our scientific and engineering workforce, and modernize our nation's scientific infrastructure."

Of the $75 million for Jefferson Lab, $65 million will be applied to the 12 GeV Upgrade project. When complete, the project will allow the lab’s international community of physicists to continue Jefferson Lab’s mission of expanding our knowledge of nuclear and particle physics with an unprecedented level of precision. The 12 GeV Upgrade is a $310 million project that will begin construction this spring and will be completed in 2015. The additional $10 million will be used to modernize lab facilities and infrastructure.