Consortium of Universities to Provide Services to National Energy Technology Laboratory

December 14, 2009

Contact: Chriss Swaney
Carnegie Mellon University
412.268.5776

PITTSBURGH—Three industry-led teams that include Carnegie Mellon University, the University of Pittsburgh and three other major research universities have been awarded contracts to provide a range of research and engineering services to the National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL). The collective value of the three contracts is expected to exceed $465 million over a five-year period.

           
The NETL, part of the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) national laboratory system, conducts research in coal, natural gas and oil technologies, analyzes energy systems and international energy issues for the DOE Office of Fossil Energy, and performs contract and project management for a number of other DOE offices.

           
The consortium of universities, consisting of Carnegie Mellon, the University of Pittsburgh, West Virginia University, Pennsylvania State University and Virginia Tech, joined a major industrial firm to pursue each of the three competitive awards. URS Corporation is the prime contractor on a program to provide fossil energy research and engineering services. Booz Allen Hamilton will manage work on energy sector planning and analysis, and KeyLogic Systems is the prime contractor for project execution and integration.

           
"Carnegie Mellon University has a proud history of research in energy and the environment and currently has more than 70 faculty members involved in numerous energy and environmentally related research projects. I am looking forward to lead a very talented, multi-disciplinary team from both academia and industry as we work to support the DOE's premier fossil energy and development laboratory," said Andy Gellman, consortium research director and head of Carnegie Mellon's Chemical Engineering Department.

           
"The University of Pittsburgh's burgeoning activities in energy-related research and education will be greatly enhanced by this collaborative effort with our partner universities and NETL. The University of Pittsburgh has over 100 researchers who have been actively engaged in research with NETL over the past five years, and this award will allow for the continuance of our world-class research in a wide spectrum of energy topics," said Brian Gleeson, the Harry S. Tack Chair Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science at Pitt.

           
Over the past four years, three of the five participating universities have collectively performed more than $40 million in research services for NETL under the previous support service contract.

           
The URS-led team will be responsible for providing personnel, facilities, equipment, materials, supplies and services to support NETL on the development and implementation of basic and applied fossil energy research. The team also will work with NETL's research staff to provide research and infrastructure support, health and safety and quality control support, and logistical and technical coordination support.

           
"URS has a long history of supporting the DOE, including providing management services for four of the largest National Research Laboratories in the U.S.: the Los Alamos and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratories," said Tom Zarges, president of URS' Washington Division. "We look forward to leveraging the diverse core competencies of the team to bring cost-effective services and leading expertise to the NETL's Office of Research and Development."

           
The Booz Allen Hamilton team will conduct energy sector analysis and planning for NETL, including engineering analysis, research and development benefit analysis, life-cycle analysis, and energy resource development and impact assessment services.

           
"We are delighted to bring the combined capabilities of Booz Allen and its core subcontractors (Midwest Research Institute, Technology & Management Services, Inc., and WorleyParsons Group, Inc.), and our university partners together to support energy analysis at NETL," said Booz Allen Program Manager Gary Leatherman.

           
The KeyLogic team will support NETL's work in managing and reviewing the more than 1,800 projects currently awarded to external vendors and NETL in-house researchers. This team's activities also will include conducting validation assessments and project performance reviews, disseminating results to the technical community and providing training in process improvement.

           
"We are honored to support NETL and their mission to deliver technological solutions that simultaneously address our nation's three overreaching energy issues: affordability, supply security and environmental quality," said KeyLogic Program Manager Carey Butler.