PNNL earns $13M for ‘outstanding’ marks on 2023 DOE report card. How it stacked up
The Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, a major Richland employer, earned another round of high marks for its performance from the Department of Energy Office of Science in 2023.
Battelle, the contractor that operates the Richland lab, will receive $13.1 million in incentive pay, or 97% of the $13.5 million the lab could have earned for the federal fiscal year, which ended on Sept. 30.
It is the fifth consecutive year it has earned 97% of the maximum fee available. It received $12.13 million for its 2022 performance.
DOE released marks for PNNL and nine other national laboratories on Thursday. The results were slightly better than 2022 due to an upgraded score for leadership/stewardship.
“This was an exceptional evaluation from DOE, commending our outstanding, sustained performance across the board. The impact of our science and technology was noted as well as the many facets that comprise our management and operations of the Laboratory,” said Steven Ashby, PNNL director.
The lab employs 6,100 as it carries out its energy-focused research mission.
PNNL noted that some of the fee is reinvested in the community by Battelle through its support of STEM education, performing and usual arts and local human services organizations.
DOE is the lead agency on the appraisal process but receives input with the other federal agencies that contributed to the $1.66 billion the lab received in the most recent fiscal year.
That included the Department of Homeland Security, the National Institutes of Health and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
The DOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, the National Nuclear Security Administration, the Office of Electricity, Office of Cybersecurity, Energy Security and Emergency Response, the Office of Environmental Management and the Office of Nuclear Energy contributed as well.
PNNL received two “A”s, four “A minuses” and two “B+”is across eight categories.
For a full list of 2023 DOE report cards for the national laboratories and other DOE research facilities, go to bit.ly/3TmigpG
This story was originally published December 15, 2023 at 12:23 PM.