---
kind: "section"
citation: "42 U.S.C. § 9303"
title: "42"
title_heading: "The Public Health and Welfare"
number: "9303"
heading: "Program activities"
release: "119-102"
date: "2026-07-12"
url: "https://uscodex.org/usc/42/9303"
units:
  - "Chapter 101 — Magnetic Fusion Energy Engineering"
---

# §9303. Program activities

- (a) **Development in areas where lack of knowledge limits magnetic fusion energy systems—** The [Secretary](/usc/42/9302.md?p=6) shall initiate activities or accelerate existing activities in research areas in which the lack of knowledge limits [magnetic fusion](/usc/42/9302.md?p=2) [energy systems](/usc/42/9302.md?p=3) in order to ensure the achievement of the purposes of this chapter.
- (b) **Research programs on plasma confinement, alternate confinement concepts, advanced fuels, and properties of materials likely to be used in construction of fusion engineering devices—**
  - (1) The [Secretary](/usc/42/9302.md?p=6) shall maintain an aggressive plasma confinement research program on the current lead concept to provide a full measure of support for the design, [construction](/usc/42/300s–3.md?p=7), and operation of the [fusion engineering devices](/usc/42/9302.md?p=4).
  - (2) The [Secretary](/usc/42/9302.md?p=6) shall maintain a broadly based research program on alternate confinement concepts and on advanced fuels at a sufficient level of funding to achieve optimal design of each successive [magnetic fusion](/usc/42/9302.md?p=2) facility using the then best available confinement and fuel concept.
  - (3) The [Secretary](/usc/42/9302.md?p=6) shall ensure that research on properties of materials likely to be required for the [construction](/usc/42/300s–3.md?p=7) of [fusion engineering devices](/usc/42/9302.md?p=4) is adequate to provide timely information for the design of such devices.
- (c) **Fusion engineering device designs—**
  - (1) The [Secretary](/usc/42/9302.md?p=6) shall initiate design activities on a [fusion engineering device](/usc/42/9302.md?p=4) using the best available confinement concept to ensure operation of such a device at the earliest practicable time, but not later than the year 1990.
  - (2) The [Secretary](/usc/42/9302.md?p=6) shall develop and test the adequacy of the engineering design of components to be utilized in the [fusion engineering device](/usc/42/9302.md?p=4).
- (d) **Operation of demonstration plant at turn of twenty-first century—** The [Secretary](/usc/42/9302.md?p=6) shall initiate at the earliest practical time each activity which he deems necessary to achieve the national goal for operation of a [demonstration plant](/usc/42/9302.md?p=5) at the turn of the twenty-first century.
- (e) **Assessment of factors in determining commercial introduction of magnetic fusion energy systems—** The [Secretary](/usc/42/9302.md?p=6) shall continue efforts to assess factors which will determine the commercial introduction of [magnetic fusion](/usc/42/9302.md?p=2) [energy systems](/usc/42/9302.md?p=3) including, but not limited to—
  - (1) projected costs relative to other alternative energy sources;
  - (2) projected growth rates in energy demand;
  - (3) safety-related design limitations;
  - (4) environmental impacts; and
  - (5) limitations on the availability of strategic elements, such as helium, lithium, and special metals.

## Source credit

(Pub. L. 96–386, § 4, Oct. 7, 1980, 94 Stat. 1540.)