The Department of Energy has released the following statement:

“On August 1, 2013, the Department of Energy’s Office of Science approved Critical Decision-2 (CD-2), Approve Performance Baseline, and Critical Decision-3a (CD-3a), Approve Start of Civil Construction and Long Lead Procurements, for the Facility for Rare Isotope Beams (FRIB) construction project, which will be located at Michigan State University.

As with other DOE Office of Science construction projects, CD-2 formally establishes the cost and schedule for the FRIB project. The Total Project Cost for FRIB is $730M, of which $635.5M will be provided by DOE and $94.5M will be provided by Michigan State University. The project will be completed by 2022.

The CD-3a decision allows the project to proceed with long lead procurements. Commencement of the start of civil construction is subject to a Fiscal Year 2014 appropriation.

When completed, FRIB will provide access to completely uncharted territory at the limits of nuclear stability, revolutionizing our understanding of the structure of nuclei as well as the origin of the elements and related astrophysical processes.”

This is great news for our community. Thanks to all the FRIB Users Organization members for helping the project to reach this important milestone. Now, as FRIB has a defined completion date in June 2022 and as the FRIB Project works to early completion in December 2020, we need to continue to work together to help the Project secure the needed funding and, most importantly for the FRIB Users Organization, to prepare the science program for FRIB.

Sincerely,
Brad Sherrill
FRIB Chief Scientist