Deputy director gives insight into lab's innovations and expansion

Growth, job creation and innovation were the subjects of a talk given by a leader in the science and tech sector on Monday, highlighting the history of a well-known Idaho agency.

Dr. Todd E. Combs spoke at the Boise Metro Chamber of Commerce Speaker Series on Aug. 5 at the Stueckle Sky Center, giving a brief history of Idaho National Laboratory and what’s to come for the organization.

With a career that is just as storied as the agency he now works for, Combs, INL’s deputy laboratory director for science and technology and the chief research officer, demonstrated first-hand how adaptability and flexibility are sometimes necessary in his industry. He wasn’t aware that he would be speaking at the luncheon until 7:45 a.m. that morning to cover for his boss, Dr. John C. Wagner, who had fallen ill over the weekend.

Further, Combs made the four-hour drive on what was his 18th anniversary to speak in front a room full of business and community members and leaders, including Gov. Brad Little and Lt. Gov. Scott Bedke.

Combs wasted no time in diving right into his “raw talk” and answering questions. He focused on how far the lab has come and where it plans to go.

“Since 2005, we’ve seen a tremendous amount of growth,” he said. “Even when I got to the lab on May 1 of 2017, we were a much bigger lab [over the previous 12 years]. There were about 3,750 staff members. We were about a $1 billion lab. Standing here today, we’re about a $2 billion lab and we will reach 6,500 staff members before you know it and beyond 7,000-plus beyond that.”

Noting that INL is celebrating its own anniversary of 75 years, Combs pointed out a few key historical facts about the agency. In the time since it was founded, INL has built 52 nuclear reactors, demonstrated and tested them, he said. It was the first nuclear power plant in the U.S. in the first U.S. city powered by nuclear energy. It was the first submarine reactor testing location. INL was also responsible for the training of more than 40,000 naval reactor operators. “That’s an interesting mission to have in the middle of Idaho.”

One piece of trivia that most might not know, the deputy director pointed out, is that for 40 years, INL has been manufacturing the armor for the Abrams Tank.

However, it’s the focus on clean energy production that the lab is best known for. “The bottom line is, if you look at nuclear in the U.S. and across the world, you look at all the current reactors operating, there’s a fingerprint that ultimately goes back to Idaho, goes back to our desert site and what’s now Idaho National Laboratory.”

One of the goals the lab is working toward is achieving net zero emissions by 2050.

“In order to meet these 2050 goals in terms of net zero and other things, there needs to be about 300 gigawatts of nuclear operating across the country,” Combs pointed out. “We have about 95 working today, so there’s a significant amount of work to be done.”

In the next decade, the lab plans to bring on several microreactors and modular reactors, with two coming online by 2026. Microreactors are mobile and can be deployed to communities that might have had a power grid destroyed by a natural disaster. The reactors would be able to be set up and restore power. The Marvel microreactor project is the first INL has built since the 1980s, Combs stated.

The lab is also focused on research in the use of hydrogen for energy production, recycling and reuse of rare earth minerals and battery technologies. There is also a focus on electric vehicles and that sector.

“There is a lot of work in electric vehicles,” he said. “How do you deploy 500,000 chargers across the country in an optimal way and make sure rural communities like we have in Idaho get access to the EV infrastructure that they need like everybody else?”

With the growth that the lab is seeing, new employees are always being sought, Combs said. About 30% of staff has been at the lab for less than two years, which will look more like 53% in less than five years. That staff, he stated, is still primarily found in Idaho.

“We’re building our talent pipeline and have ongoing workforce needs,” he said. “This really means we have to have excellent partnerships, including with the Idaho universities and community colleges.”

Combs acknowledged that a lot of the work INL does would not be possible without the support of government leaders who see the benefits of energy technologies, pointing out that the lab receives bipartisan support in its endeavors.

On the workforce topic, Little was curious about what degrees staff at INL carried.

“Out of the 800 to 1,000 employees you hire a year, how many are PhD’s, master’s, bachelor’s and just skilled technicians,” the governor asked.

“We have out of our 6,200 today about 600 PhD researchers. I would say we have 1,000 to 1,500 master’s level staff, and then the rest are bachelor’s level, associate’s level staff,” Combs answered. “So, don’t think that you have to have a PhD or even a master’s degree to work at INL. We need trades of all sorts. We need bachelor’s level engineers. I think there is good opportunity for jobs for Idaho citizens and people across the country as well.”

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