DOE announces up to $127.5 million to remove carbon from cement makers, power plants

The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management (FECM) is making available up to $127.5 million for the development of test centers focused on carbon dioxide (CO2) capture, removal and conversion at cement manufacturing facilities and power plants. 

Achieving the federal goal of a net-zero emissions economy by 2050 will need novel solutions, as well as responsible development and deployment of technologies, to capture CO2 emissions from industrial operations and power generation. The most cutting-edge solutions still incur high energy and capital costs, posing barriers to widespread adoption. The new centers will use public funding to cost-effectively research and evaluate groundbreaking carbon solutions in these settings. 

This funding opportunity announcement (FOA) will support three areas of focus:  

• Carbon capture, removal, and conversion test center at an electric generating unit: Providing post-combustion flue gas testing capabilities that accurately represent domestic coal and/or natural gas power systems. 

• Enabling capital improvements at existing carbon capture test facilities: Improving capabilities and making infrastructure improvements at existing flue-gas testing centers that accurately model domestic fossil-based power systems. 

• Carbon capture, removal and conversion technology test center at a cement manufacturing facility: Providing flue-gas testing that reflects the current state of domestic cement manufacturing. 

Projects chosen under this FOA will support testing facilities that advance technologies for capturing and converting CO2 into products from utility and industrial sources or for removing CO2 from the atmosphere. The goal of this research is the enabling of both cost-effective and environmentally sustainable carbon management solutions. 

DOE anticipates awarding up to 10 projects for a total of $127.5 million in funding, with a 20% to 30% cost-share from awardees. Higher cost shares could result in greater funding levels. 

Eligible applicants include individuals, institutions of higher education, for- and non-profit organizations, state and local governments, and tribal nations. Applications can only be submitted via Grants.gov and are due Oct. 31 by 5 p.m. ET. Any questions must be submitted via a registered FedConnect account. 

Awardees are expected to be selected by April 2025. 

Jason Woodhead, CC BY 2.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0, via Wikimedia Commons