The Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory hosted a delegation of Italian energy officials and leaders from April 7 through 15, spotlighting a shared commitment to innovation and international partnership in advanced nuclear and fusion energy.
The first week of the visit began with a formal training on ORNL’s SCALE modeling and simulation software suite for nuclear safety analysis and design modeling and simulation, while the following week was spent in high level meetings, as well as technical briefings, facility tours, and strategic discussions designed to foster deeper collaboration between U.S. and Italian research institutions and energy companies.
The agenda featured in-depth technical discussions, facility tours, and strategic roundtables and commenced with a welcome dinner on Sunday evening. There, the delegation was welcomed by their host for the week, Vittorio Badalassi, leader of the multiphysics CFD applications group and Lab Director Stephen Streiffer.
The delegation kicked off their second week at ORNL by engaging in a series of presentations including overviews from across the Fusion and Fission Energy and Science Directorate, spurring discussions on future collaborations in fusion and fission research with the Lab. The day capped off with tours of the Frontier supercomputer, the particle fuel lab and the fusion pellet lab.
Their final day at the Lab was dubbed “Nuclear Industry Day,” and highlighted public-private partnerships, including the Italian Sustainable Nuclear platform, and innovative projects with collaborators including the Tennessee Valley Authority and Blue Laser Fusion. The day concluded with a nuclear roundtable and a tour of the MPEX facility.
Reflecting on the visit, Badalassi remarked, “The visit marked a significant step toward strengthening a dynamic and collaborative relationship that is committed to advanced nuclear and fusion energy innovation.”
UT-Battelle manages ORNL for the Department of Energy’s Office of Science, the single largest supporter of basic research in the physical sciences in the United States. The Office of Science is working to address some of the most pressing challenges of our time. For more information, please visit energy.gov/science. – Liz McCrory
This Oak Ridge National Laboratory news article "Partnership and innovation focus of Italian nuclear energy delegation visit to ORNL" was originally found on https://www.ornl.gov/news
