Laboratory

President-elect Barack Obama has picked Nobel Prize-winning physicist Steven Chu, who runs the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory at the University of California, to be secretary of the Department of Energy (DOE) in his administration, and has selected experienced regulators to oversee three other offices dealing with energy, environmental and climate-change issues, Washington sources said. No formal announcement had been issued Thursday morning.

The Department of Energy’s (DOE) National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) said last week it has spent $575,000 to develop a new robotics system that will be capable of detecting flaws in polyethylene natural gas pipelines without disrupting operations. These plastic distribution pipes makes up almost one-quarter of the nation’s natural gas pipeline system.

The Department of Energy’s National Energy Technology Laboratory(NETL) through its Strategic Center for Natural Gas released asolicitation for proposals to improve the reliability of thenation’s natural gas infrastructure. NETL expects to fund researchand development projects totaling up to $10 million over athree-year period through this solicitation. Multiple awards areanticipated with industrial participants expected to contribute atleast 35% of each selected project’s cost. The proposals are due byJan. 9, 2001. The solicitation is available at the NETL web sitehttp://www.netl.doe.gov/business/solicit/index.html . For moreinformation, contact David J. Anna, (412) 386-4646, or e-mail:anna@netl.doe.gov .

The Department of Energy’s National Energy Technology Laboratory(NETL) last week issued a draft solicitation seeking natural gasindustry comments on a $10-million, three-year program to developtechnology innovations to strengthen the reliability of the U.S.gas pipeline grid.

The Department of Energy’s National Energy Technology Laboratory(NETL) last week issued a draft solicitation seeking natural gasindustry comments on a $10-million, three-year program to developtechnology innovations to strengthen the reliability of the U.S.gas pipeline grid.