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U.S. Code as of:
01/19/04
Section 9303. Program activities
(a) Development in areas where lack of knowledge limits magnetic
fusion energy systems
The Secretary shall initiate activities or accelerate existing
activities in research areas in which the lack of knowledge limits
magnetic fusion energy systems in order to ensure the achievement
of the purposes of this chapter.
(b) Research programs on plasma confinement, alternate confinement
concepts, advanced fuels, and properties of materials likely to
be used in construction of fusion engineering devices
(1) The Secretary shall maintain an aggressive plasma confinement
research program on the current lead concept to provide a full
measure of support for the design, construction, and operation of
the fusion engineering devices.
(2) The Secretary shall maintain a broadly based research program
on alternate confinement concepts and on advanced fuels at a
sufficient level of funding to achieve optimal design of each
successive magnetic fusion facility using the then best available
confinement and fuel concept.
(3) The Secretary shall ensure that research on properties of
materials likely to be required for the construction of fusion
engineering devices is adequate to provide timely information for
the design of such devices.
(c) Fusion engineering device designs
(1) The Secretary shall initiate design activities on a fusion
engineering device using the best available confinement concept to
ensure operation of such a device at the earliest practicable time,
but not later than the year 1990.
(2) The Secretary shall develop and test the adequacy of the
engineering design of components to be utilized in the fusion
engineering device.
(d) Operation of demonstration plant at turn of twenty-first
century
The Secretary shall initiate at the earliest practical time each
activity which he deems necessary to achieve the national goal for
operation of a demonstration plant at the turn of the twenty-first
century.
(e) Assessment of factors in determining commercial introduction of
magnetic fusion energy systems
The Secretary shall continue efforts to assess factors which will
determine the commercial introduction of magnetic fusion energy
systems including, but not limited to -
(1) projected costs relative to other alternative energy
sources;
(2) projected growth rates in energy demand;
(3) safety-related design limitations;
(4) environmental impacts; and
(5) limitations on the availability of strategic elements, such
as helium, lithium, and special metals.
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