FundOpp_DE-FOA-0003584.pdf

This is a Notice of Intent (NOI) only. MESC may issue a NOFO as described herein, may issue a NOFO that is significantly different than the NOFO described herein, or MESC may not issue a NOFO at all.

Notice of Intent to Issue (NOI) Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) No. DE-FOA-0003584

DISCLAIMER: The “Notice of Intent to Issue” is for informational purposes only; the Department of Energy is not seeking comments on the information in this notice and applications are not being accepted at this time. Any information contained in this notice is subject to change.

Background

Following President Trump’s leadership to further America’s energy dominance and counter malign foreign influence in critical supply chains, the Office of Manufacturing and Energy Supply Chains (MESC) intends to issue a Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) titled “Battery Materials Processing and Battery Manufacturing and Recycling Grant Program.”

This Notice of Intent announces the Department of Energy's (DOE) planned funding opportunity under Section 40207 of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), aimed at expanding U.S.

critical mineral and materials processing and derivative battery manufacturing and recycling.

This funding opportunity builds upon the foundation laid by President Trump in Executive Orders 14154 “Unleashing American Energy,” 14156 “Declaring a National Energy Emergency," and 14241 “Immediate Measures to Increase American Mineral Production,” which recognize the importance of using domestic sources to shore up a secure and reliable supply chain for critical minerals, and derivative, manufactured energy products. By supporting projects that advance critical minerals and materials processing and recycling and their downstream incorporation into advanced energy products, this program aims to demonstrate America’s energy dominance by reducing reliance on foreign sources of critical materials.

Opportunity Details

MESC expects to make up to $500 million of federal funding available for new awards under this funding opportunity. MESC may issue one, multiple, or no awards. Individual awards may vary between $50,000,000 and $200,000,000. The estimated period of performance for each award will be approximately 24-48 months.

The funding opportunity is anticipated to support demonstration and/or commercial facilities processing, recycling, or utilizing for manufacturing critical materials which may include traditional battery minerals such as lithium, graphite, nickel, copper, aluminum, as well as other minerals that are contained within commercially available batteries, such as rare earth elements. Applicants should consider and identify potential downstream domestic customers of their material or product.

In awarding grants to entities under the program, DOE will give priority to applicants that (1) will not use battery material supplied by or originating from a Foreign Entity of Concern (FEOC), and (2) will not export recovered critical materials to a FEOC. In May 2024, the Department issued final interpretive guidance on the statutory definition of FEOC in Section 40207 of the IIJA in May 2024.1

1 The statutory definition of FEOC can be found in the Federal Register at the following URL -https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2024/05/06/2024-08913/interpretation-of-foreign-entity-of-concern https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2024/05/06/2024-08913/interpretation-of-foreign-entity-of-concern

This is a Notice of Intent (NOI) only. MESC may issue a NOFO as described herein, may issue a NOFO that is significantly different than the NOFO described herein, or MESC may not issue a NOFO at all.

Submission and Registration Requirements

MESC anticipates issuing the funding opportunity in the coming months via the Infrastructure Exchange (https://Infrastructure-Exchange.energy.gov). If Applicants wish to receive official notifications and information from MESC regarding this funding opportunity, they should register in Infrastructure Exchange. When the funding opportunity is released, applications will be accepted only through Infrastructure Exchange.

In anticipation of the NOFO being released, Applicants are advised to complete the following steps, which are required for application submission:

• Register and create an account in Infrastructure Exchange (https://InfrastructureExchange.energy.gov). This account will allow the user to apply to any open MESC funding opportunities that are currently in Infrastructure Exchange. It is recommended that each organization or business unit, whether acting as a team or a single entity, use only one account as the contact point for each submission. Questions related to the registration process and use of the Infrastructure Exchange website should be submitted to: InfrastructureExchangeSupport@hq.doe.gov

• Register with the System for Award Management (SAM) at https://www.sam.gov.

Designating an Electronic Business Point of Contact (EBiz POC) and obtaining a special password called an MPIN are important steps in SAM registration. Please update your SAM registration annually. Upon registration, SAM will automatically assign a Unique Entity ID

(UEI).

• Register in FedConnect at https://www.fedconnect.net/. To create an organization account, your organization’s SAM MPIN is required. For more information about the SAM MPIN or other registration requirements, review the FedConnect Ready, Set, Go! Guide at https://www.fedconnect.net/FedConnect/Marketing/Documents/FedConnect_Ready_Set_ Go.pdf

• Register in Grants.gov to receive automatic updates when Amendments to a funding opportunity are posted. However, please note that applications will not be accepted through Grants.gov. http://www.grants.gov/. All applications must be submitted through Infrastructure Exchange mailto:InfrastructureExchangeSupport@hq.doe.gov https://www.sam.gov/ https://www.fedconnect.net/FedConnect/Marketing/Documents/FedConnect_Ready_Set_Go.pdf https://www.fedconnect.net/FedConnect/Marketing/Documents/FedConnect_Ready_Set_Go.pdf