Evening star., 1946-11-10
Government 10 Build
Atomic Power Plant
To Cost S20,oO0,000
BY the Assoeiafed Press

Plans for a 10000. 900 laboratory
near Schenectady, N. Y, to study
the generation of power from atomic
energy we're announced last night by
the War Department.
1t will be the fourth big Govern
ment-sponsored la tory for
atomic energy research but the first
to be devoted primarily to studying
how the new force may be used to
provided power for industrial and
commercial purposes.
The General Electric Co. will build
and operate the project adjoining
huge new laboratory Of its own
where the company's fundamental
research in other fields will be con-
centrated., The two laboratories will
be operated together.
DR.. Kingdom to Have Charge.
The Clinton laboratory at Oak
Ridge, Tenn, and the Argonne Ma
tional laboratory at Chicago, in
which educational institutions and
industrial organizations are partici-
pating, are carrying out broad re-
search programs on many angles of
atomic energy. A third project of
this general nature, the Brookhaven
National laboratory to be operated
by corporation formed by 9 East
ern universities, already is under
construction on Long Island.
The Schenectady project, named
the Knolls Atomic Power Labora-
tory, will have a uranium reactor
for the experimental production of
atomic power. This will be in
charge of DR.. Kenneth H. Kingdom,
senior GE physicist who was one
of the first to work on Uranium 235.
"The detailed study Of the prob
lens of construction of an atomic
power reactor for power production
involves major contributions from
chemistry, chemical engineering,
metallurgy, electrical and mechan-
ical engineering" DR.. Kingdom said.
For this reason, scientists spe-
cializing in these fields will compose
a considerable proportion of the
group working on the new program.
In addition, the resources of the
many engineering divisions of the
General Electric Co: will be en-
ployed on the project"
"Hot" Laboratory Planned.
DR.. c. G. Suits, vice president and
director of research for GE, will
have general supervision of the
program.
In addition to the uranium re-
actor, the Knolls laboratory will
have powerful atom smashers and
hot" chemistry laboratory where
radioactive materials can be handled
and reactions studied.
The Knolls and the adjoining GE
laboratory will require some $50
scientists and 1000 technicians
when in full operation. A number
of scientists from the Army's Man
haitian project already have joined
the GE staff.
Although announcement Of the
new project was made by the Army,
its control will be turned over to
the new civilian Atomic Energy
Commission headed by David E.
Lihenthal when its organization is
completed. The commission is to
supplant the Army entirely in the
atomic energy field, but President
Truman and other officials have
said that the transfer will take some
months. ca --.3,F ~
Problems at Hanford. 49,
"The work on this program began
many months ago and will be trans
ferred to the atomic energy COM
as part of the broad peace
time development program" Maj.
Gen. L. r. Groves. chief of the Man.
haitian Project, declared.
i In addition to research work in
atomic power development, the
Knolls laboratory will conduct re-
search on specific problems in con-
nection with the Hanford Washo
project which GE operates.
Scientists who took part in earlier
work of the Manhattan Project have
been retained by GE as consultants
for Knolls laboratory. They include
DR.. Hans A. Bethe of Cornell; DR..
Glenn Seaborg and DR. E. o. Law
renee of the University of Cali
fornia; DR.. w. Zinn of the Argonne
Laboratory; DR.. Warren K. Lewis
of Massachusetts, Institute of Tech
nology, and DR.. Eugene P. Wigner ).
on leave from Princeton as research
director of the Clinton Laboratory.