The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management’s (FECM) National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) recently announced its notice of intent (NOI) to release a funding opportunity announcement (FOA) that would contribute to the restoration of the United States as a world leader in the extraction, separation and refining of critical minerals and materials (CMM), which are needed to produce consumer goods such as smartphones and other electronics as well as components for defense systems, solar panels, wind turbines and other clean energy technologies.  

If released, this FOA would fund projects to focus on the development of a nationwide CMM production and supply chain network using diverse sources such as secondary and unconventional feedstocks, including coal and wastes from fossil energy production and mining, produced water including from oil and gas operations, acid mine drainage, carbonaceous shale/clay, coal preparation refuse, and recycled materials. Anticipated major objectives are expected to call for the development of technologies that scale up technology readiness levels, increase coproduced materials, and increase recovery value.

In 2023, the United States imported more than half its consumption for at least 39 of the 50 critical minerals. There was no domestic production for 15 of those critical minerals.

By advancing technologies, FECM will help grow an environmentally and economically sustainable, secure, diverse and resilient domestic CMM and carbon ore resource recovery industry, coupled to the remediation of legacy wastes and other unconventional sources. Through this FOA, FECM plans to support projects that advance extraction, separation, and refining capabilities that will build a strong domestic CMM supply chain while creating good-paying jobs for American workers. 

The FOA is expected to expand programs at FECM and the Advanced Materials and Manufacturing Technologies Office that will support additional processing research and development and advance more versatile technologies for the coproduction of rare earth elements, other critical minerals and other value-added materials such as non-fuel industrial carbon products from multiple, diverse feedstocks including unconventional coal- and carbon-based feedstocks and recycled materials.

If released, the FOA will be designed to help meet the goal that 40% of the overall benefits of certain federal investments in addressing climate change and clean energy flow to disadvantaged communities through the Justice40 Initiative.

This NOI is issued to give applicants ample time to prepare their proposals and form partnerships (if necessary) in anticipation of the upcoming issuance of the FOA. More information, including submission and registration requirements, can be found here.

FECM conducts research, development, demonstration, and deployment that focuses on technologies to reduce carbon emissions and other environmental impacts from fossil fuel production and use and from key industrial processes, particularly the hardest-to-decarbonize applications in the electricity and industrial sectors. Priority areas of technology work include carbon capture, carbon conversion, carbon dioxide removal, carbon dioxide transport and storage, hydrogen production with carbon management, methane emissions reduction, and critical minerals production. To learn more, visit the FECM website, sign up for FECM news announcements and visit the National Energy Technology Laboratory website.