TRI-CITIES, Wash. – Chris Wright, the U.S. Department of Energy Secretary, began his visit in the Tri-Cities at Ice Harbor Lock and Dam on the Lower Snake River on Dec. 4. Wright discussed the importance of hydro power and dams in the Pacific Northwest.
Hydro power is crucial in providing affordable electricity in the region, helping reduce prices below the national average. Wright emphasized that the Trump administration, along with himself, is committed to maintaining hydro power in the area.
“Below average electricity prices because of these awesome hydro resources, the Trump administration and myself as Energy Secretary, we are all in on this state and across the country,” Wright said. “Everything we can do to lower the price of electricity, lower the price of gasoline, lower the price of energy of all kinds.”
Following his visit to the dam, Wright toured the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) to discuss the recently announced “Genesis Mission” and the use of Artificial Intelligence in scientific research. The “Genesis Mission” is an initiative that aims to accelerate discovery and strengthen U.S. leadership in AI-powered science.
“We want to lead in technological innovation, and our Genesis mission is to harness artificial intelligence, which is rapidly coming of age. It’s going to be done for commercial and personal services, and all that in the commercial world,” Wright said.
At PNNL, the Department of Energy unveiled an autonomous prototype device using AI to produce large quantities of biological data. The Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory’s Anaerobic Microbial Phenotyping Platform (AMP2) is the world’s largest automated system for anaerobic microbial experimentation. The autonomous capable experimental hardware and AI-guided software can help increase discoveries in biotechnology. Wright said this innovation allows scientists to work five to ten times faster towards breakthroughs.
“Technology innovation just opens up so many doors in so many windows. And I will tell you that 17 national labs in this country are absolute jewels and gems for our scientific discovery, for our national security, for our economy,” Wright said.
Wright plans to visit the Hanford Site on Dec. 5 and the Idaho National Laboratory on Dec. 8, completing his tour of all 17 national labs.
