The Nickel Report

On December 13, 2022, the US Department of Energy (DOE) published a Notice of Intent (NOI) to issue a Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) titled, BIL-Carbon Utilization Procurement Grants Under Bipartisan Infrastructure Law Section 40302.

The Carbon Utilization Procurement Grant program provides incentives for the use of products developed from the conversion of carbon oxides emitted from human activity. Carbon capture, storage, and reuse opportunities have traditionally been designed to address a narrow scope of issues and be available exclusively to targeted industries and subsectors. The broad eligibility outlined in this NOI suggests a vast applicability to all industry sectors and segments of the supply chain.

DOE’s National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) issued the NOI on behalf of the Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management (FECM) with the objective of illustrating the viability of these alternative products to promote their deployment. NETL’s NOI states that the FOA will be issued in the first quarter of 2023 with federal funding up to $100 million at a 50% cost-share. Grants are available to states, local governments, and public utilities or agencies to support the use of commercial or industrial products that:

1. use or are derived from anthropogenic carbon oxides; and
2. demonstrate significant net reductions in the lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions compared to incumbent technologies, processes, and products.

When the FOA is issued, NETL intends to highlight products that can be replaced or supplemented with a commercially viable and more sustainable alternative. This emphasis will support DOE’s objective to lay the foundation for continued deployment of such products beyond the life of the program. Funds for the program were appropriated by Congress in the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (more commonly known as the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL)).

This NOI is the first step in NETL’s planning for a FOA. We intend to provide a follow-up post with information regarding the FOA when it is finalized.