October 20, 1999

DOE SELECTS UT-BATTELLE, LLC TO MANAGE
OAK RIDGE NATIONAL LABORATORY IN TENNESSEE

OAK RIDGE, TN - The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) today announced its competitive selection of UT-Battelle, LLC to manage and operate the Department's Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, one of the nation's largest energy research and development laboratories.

The estimated value of this contract is $2.5 billion over the next five years. After a transition period, UT-Battelle, LLC will assume full management and operation responsibility on April 1, 2000.

"We are very pleased to announce the selection of UT-Battelle, LLC to manage the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Tennessee," said Secretary of Energy Bill Richardson. "The UT-Battelle, LLC team has a record of scientific excellence and good management practices. I am confident that UT-Battelle, LLC will lead Oak Ridge's multiprogram science and technology laboratory to strengthen the nation's leadership in key areas of science while meeting DOE's requirements for operational excellence and worker safety and health."

ORNL is responsible for major DOE programs in basic energy sciences, material and neutron science, biological and environmental research, fusion energy science, advanced scientific computing research, nuclear physics, and energy efficiency and renewable energy. ORNL has a workforce of 4,500 employees with an annual budget of approximately $550 million.

UT-Battelle, LLC, which was formed specifically to bid on this contract, is comprised of The University of Tennessee and Battelle Memorial Institute. Battelle is based in Columbus, Ohio, and is currently involved in the management and operation of DOE's Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Brookhaven National Laboratory, and National Renewable Energy Laboratory.

Leah Dever, Oak Ridge Operations Manager, said, "The Department has achieved its goal of conducting this competition in an efficient and effective manner. Our focus now will be to complete the transition to the new contract while continuing to meet our programmatic objectives and new initiatives such as the Spallation Neutron Source."

The Spallation Neutron Source (SNS) will be the world's foremost neutron science facility for conducting basic research in materials science, solid state physics, engineering, chemistry, and structural biology. When completed, the SNS will be a nationally designated user facility expected to attract from 1,000 to 2,000 researchers annually.

-DOE-

News Media Contact:
Steven Wyatt, (423) 576-0885
www.oakridge.doe.gov

R-99-037

-DOE-

News Media Contact:
Steven Wyatt, (423) 576-0885
www.oakridge.doe.gov

R-99-036