Columbus, OH--The U.S. Department of Energy announced today that it will extend the management and operations contract for Pacific Northwest National Laboratory two years.

The existing contract was scheduled to expire Sept. 30, 2007. The extension keeps the laboratory under Battelle management for up to two additional years and gives DOE time to complete the competitive bid process for a new contract.

"With the contract ending in a little over two months, an extension was the only viable option," said Jeff Wadsworth, Executive Vice President for Laboratory Operations at Battelle. "This extension is clearly designed by DOE to cover the time needed to go through the bid process. We're eager to get on with that process and show DOE that Battelle is still the best organization to operate PNNL. Therefore, we hope the draft RFP comes out soon."

Battelle has managed PNNL since the lab's inception in 1965. In that time, PNNL has tripled the size of its staff; increased annual business volume from $20 million in 1965 to $765 million in 2007; has been awarded more than 1,000 patents; and has won a number of awards for its innovations.

Battelle is the world's largest non-profit independent research and development organization, with 20,000 employees in more than 120 locations worldwide, including five national laboratories Battelle manages or co-manages for the U.S. Department of Energy. Headquartered in Columbus, Ohio, Battelle conducts $3.8 billion in R&D annually through contract research, laboratory management, and technology commercialization. As a non-profit charitable trust with an eye toward the future, Battelle actively supports and promotes science and math education.

For more information, visit www.battelle.org or contact Mark Berry at (614) 424-5544 or berrym@battelle.org.