71 2018 Versatile Test Reactor INL was named to lead DOE’s new Versatile Test Reactor program, an effort to develop a fast-spectrum irradiation test reactor in the United States by 2026.The VTR program represents a response to feedback from U.S. companies developing advanced reactors, many of which require different testing facilities such as a fast spectrum test reactor.The capability is critical for developing innovative nuclear fuels, materials, instrumentation and sensors. On Nov. 13, 2018, Idaho National Laboratory awarded a subcontract to GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy to support the conceptual design, cost/schedule estimate and safety framework activities. Engineers from GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy will adapt the company’s sodium-cooled nuclear reactor design, which is based on the principles proven at EBR-II from 1963 to 1994. “ This project illustrates how ingenuity from the Idaho Site’s past is paving the way for nuclear energy’s future.” — John Wagner, INL Nuclear Science & Technology Associate Laboratory Director