Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory has been denied a large contract from the U.S. Department of Energy to build the world’s most advanced X-ray microscope.
The Berkeley lab had set aside 200 acres of UC-owned Berkeley hillside land, on which it would have built an innovative X-ray light source, in hopes of receiving the $1.5 billion contract. Although the lab has been planning to expand to a new Richmond campus, the city of Richmond is concerned the lab now may choose to build on the Berkeley land instead.
In a July 25 report, a DOE advisory committee denied the Berkeley lab the contract because of the lab’s failure to meet the criteria for building the microscope.
The loss of the contract could affect the lab’s expansion to a second campus in Richmond, as the Berkeley hillside acreage previously allocated for the X-ray project has been freed up for use.
The Berkeley lab has planned to expand for years, as it is currently leasing off-site facilities to conduct some of its research. The University of California chose the Richmond Field Station as its preferred site in January 2012.
Changing the potential location of the campus extension and attempting to start construction in the Berkeley Hills would be much more complicated and difficult to accomplish than in Richmond, said Bill Lindsay, Richmond’s city manager.
“I understand that it is getting more and more difficult for (the Berkeley lab) to actually design and build and get more community approval for projects in their hillside location,” he said. “In Richmond, development could be less expensive or less problematic.”
The Richmond campus project also faced trouble when sequestration caused the DOE to limit its funding of the Berkeley lab, which it operates, in July. Since then, the lab has sought alternative funding sources.
In response to the cuts, the Berkeley lab and the University of California continued to work on the Long Range Development Plan, a timeline for the Richmond project that aims to complete construction by 2017. The Berkeley lab also is finalizing an environmental impact report for the proposed Richmond site.
The creation of these two documents, in conjunction with a possible community meeting within the next two months, shows the Berkeley lab is still dedicated to its plans for the Richmond campus, said Berkeley lab spokesperson Jon Weiner in an email.
“This is a long-term development effort, which could occur over a 40-year period,” he said in the email. “We’re just laying the groundwork now.”
UC Berkeley has also hired a development manager who will work on an overall financing strategy for the project and find multiple funding sources for the campus, which will primarily conduct biosciences research.
“The lab is still committed to the project,” Lindsay said. “They’re still very happy with their choice of Richmond as a second location.”
The Richmond location is conducive to the lab’s goal of research expansion and growth because it is close to the lab’s UC Berkeley location and the city of Richmond supports the project, according to the Berkeley lab’s website.
The Richmond location, however, will remain “preferred” and not definite until the environmental report is completed and the university and DOE approve the project plans, the website said.
“It’s a great, very important project for the Richmond community,” Lindsay said. “Our hope is that the dollars that are spent on both construction and servicing (the facility) go to jobs that can help in the local community.”
Claire Chiara covers research and ideas. Contact her at [email protected].