NOFO Part 1 -HALEU Innovatice Technology NOFO DE-FOA-0003487_004 - 27 January 2025.pdf

Financial Assistance Notice of Funding Opportunity

Part 1

U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Nuclear Energy High-Assay Low-Enriched (HALEU) Nuclear Fuel Supply Chain Innovative Technology Notice of Funding Opportunity Number: DE-FOA-0003487

NOFO Type: Initial – December 18, 2024

Amendment 001: January 7, 2025 Amendment 002: January 8, 2025 Amendment 003: January 14, 2025 Amendment 004: January 27, 2025

Application due: March 12 2025, at 5:00 pm Eastern Standard Time

Final Day for Question Submission: March 2 2025, 5:00pm Eastern Standard Time

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Changes:

Amendment 001: This amendment

1.) Extends the due date for applications to Wednesday March 12th, 2025, at 5:00 pm Eastern Standard Time.

2.) Provides an updated Question and Answer document for this NOFO dated January 6, 2025.

Amendment 002: This amendment

1.) Establishes March 2 2025, at 5:00pm Eastern Standard Time as the final day for question submission.

2.) Provides an updated Question and Answer document for this NOFO dated January 8, 2025.

Amendment 003: This amendment

1.) Changes application submission requirement from application submission to grants.gov to application submission via email with primary email submission: Contract specialist Jeff Rigby, email: rigbyja@id.doe.gov and secondary email submission: Contracting Officer Mark Payne, email: paynemb@id.doe.gov. Changes are found in Innovative Technology NOFO (DE-FOA- 0003487) part 1 pages 6, 23 & 33 and Innovative Technology NOFO (DE-FOA-0003487) part 2 page 7.

Amendment 004 modifies the NOFO as follows:

1.) Removes references to the community benefits plan (CBP), diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives and justice40 environmental initiatives from NOFO part 1. Affects NOFO pages 14, 17- 18, 19-20, 22, 23, 26, 27, 32-33 & 36-37.

2.) Removes community benefits plan as a Technical Review Criteria item. Team Knowledge, Skills, Capabilities & Project Resources was previously Technical Review Criteria item #4 is now Technical Review Criteria item #3 for both Topic Area 1 and Topic Area 2. Affects NOFO pages 32-36.

3.) Changes several values within the Technical Review Criteria weighted values. Technical Merit and Potential Impact increased to 50%, Project Management Plan increased to 40% and Community Benefits plan decreased to 0% in both Topic Area 1 and Topic Area 2. Affects NOFO Pages 32-36.

4.) NOFO Part 2: Removes instructions regarding the community benefit plan as well as references to diversity, equity & inclusion (DEI) initiatives and Justice 40 environmental initiatives. Formerly found in previous NOFO part 2 on pages 7, 16, 20, 23-31, 32, 34, 45, 71.

5.) Attachments - HALEU Transportation Package: Removes the community benefits plan for research and development from the list of available NOFO documents.

6.) Provides additional responses to official questions regarding the HALEU Transportation NOFO.

mailto:rigbyja@id.doe.gov mailto:paynemb@id.doe.gov

Table of Contents

BEFORE YOU BEGIN

Navigating the Notice of Funding Opportunity

I. BASIC INFORMATION

A. Key Facts

1. Funding Details

1. Period of Performance

B. Executive Summary C. Agency Contact Information

II. ELIGIBILITY

A. Eligible Applicants

1. Domestic Entities

2. Foreign Entity Participation

B. Limitation on Number of Applications Eligible for Review C. Cost Sharing

1. Cost Share Requirements

D. FFRDC Eligibility Criteria

1. DOE and Non-DOE FFRDCs as a Subrecipient

III. PROGRAM DESCRIPTION

A. Background and Context B. Program Purpose C. Program Goals and Objectives D. Expected Performance Goals E. Topic Areas F. Applications Specifically Not of Interest G. Statement of Substantial Involvement H. Statutory Authority

IV. APPLICATION CONTENT AND FORM

A. Summary B. Application Content Requirements

2. Covered Individual Definition, Designation, and Responsibility

1. Summary of Application Requirements

2. Technical Volume

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C. Funding Restrictions

3. Build America Requirement for Infrastructure Projects

V. SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS AND DEADLINES

D. Required Registrations

1. Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) and System for Award Management (SAM)

2. Grants.gov

E. Application Package

1. Application Submission Via Email Submit applications via email to:

F. Submission Date and Times G. Intergovernmental Review

VI. APPLICATION REVIEW INFORMATION

A. Standards for Application Evaluation B. Responsiveness Review C. Review Criteria

1. Compliance Criteria

2. Technical Review Criteria

D. Other Selection Factors

VII. SELECTION AND AWARD NOTICES

VIII. AWARD ADMINISTRATION INFORMATION

E. Post-Award Requirements and Administration

1. Real Property and Equipment

2. Cybersecurity Plan

3. Rights in Technical Data

A. Questions and Support

1. Questions

2. Support

IX. OTHER INFORMATION

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Notice of Funding Opportunity Part 1 Before You Begin

Before You Begin

Navigating the Notice of Funding Opportunity The OMB Memorandum M-24-11 directs federal agencies to reduce the burden on applicants in the Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) process and limit the length of the NOFO information requests.

With Fiscal Year (FY) 2025 NOFOs, DOE has separated the NOFO into two parts.

The NOFO Part 1 describes the specific DOE programmatic goals and evaluation criteria, eligibility, and other components that are specific to each funding opportunity. The NOFO Part 2 includes the fixed DOE requirements that generally do not change from NOFO to NOFO, including standard information for the application phase, expectations for award negotiations, and post-award requirements. Applicants must review both the NOFO Part 1 and the NOFO Part 2 prior to applying. To facilitate navigation, you will find links throughout this document to additional information found in Part 2.

There are several required one-time actions applicants must take before applying to this NOFO. Some of these actions may take several weeks, so it is vital applicants build in enough time to complete them.

Failure to complete these actions could interfere with application or negotiation deadlines or the ability to receive an award if selected. If you have previously completed the necessary registrations, make sure your registration is active and up to date. All registrations are free. Please refer to NOFO Part 2, Get Registered, for additional information.

This announcement is published in conjunction with NOFO Part 2 revision 17 October 2024.

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Section I: Basic Information

I. Basic Information

A. Key Facts

Issuing Agency

Department of Energy, Office of Nuclear Energy (NE)

Funding Opportunity Title

Nuclear Fuel Supply Chain (NFSC) Innovative Technologies

Announcement Type This is an original announcement and DOE will only accept new applications under this initial announcement

Number

DE-FOA-0003487

Funding Instrument

Cooperative Agreement

Assistance Listing Number

81.121

Description

This program will provide funding to improve the domestic enriched uranium supply chain.

Program Goals & Objective(s)

This NOFO seeks applications to address technological advancement across the front-end nuclear fuel cycle to ensure the development of a safe, sustainable and efficient supply chain of enriched uranium, enhancing current processes, and addressing technology gaps.

Topic Areas

• Topic Area 1: Up to two Demonstration Project awards

• Topic Area 2: Up to ten Research and Development Project awards

Eligible Applicants Domestic Entities (Institutes of higher education; for-profit entities;

non-profit entities; state and local government entities and Indian Tribes) are eligible to apply as prime applicants and subrecipients.

Foreign entities may be eligible to apply as prime applicants and subrecipients (subject to waiver approval). FFRDCs may be eligible to apply as subrecipients but may not apply as prime applicants (subject to Contracting Officer approval).

Application Submission

Applications Due: March 12, 2025.

Submit Application via Email:

Primary Application Submission: Jeff Rigby-Email:

rigbyja@id.doe.gov

KEY DATES

Notice of Funding Opportunity Issue Date:

December 18, Application Deadline:

March 12, 2025 at 5:00 pm Eastern Time

Final Day for Question Submission:

March 2, 2025

Anticipated Selection Notification Date:

May 28, 2025

Anticipated Award Date:

June 18, 2025

Estimated Period of Performance:

September 1, 2025

– August 31, 2030

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Grants.gov • Registration Link: https://grants.gov

• HELP: Grants.gov provides 24/7 support. You can call 1-800-

518-4776 or email support@grants.gov. It is advised you retain your ticket number

1. Funding Details

Multiple Topic Areas Approximate total available funding including all topic areas: $80,000,000.00 over a project period of up to 5 years under this NOFO. DOE intends to initially fully fund its share of each award. However, DOE reserves the right in its sole discretion to add additional funding to an award or make additional awards to applications submitted under this NOFO.

Topic Area 1: Demonstration Projects

• Approximate total available funding: $40,000,000

• Approximate number of awards: up to 2

• Approximate dollar amount of individual awards: up to $40,000,000 with DOE contributing up to

$20,000,000 in Federal Funds

• Minimum cost share required: 50% of total project costs

• Approximate award project period: up to 60 months

• Anticipated length of individual budget periods: 12 months

Topic Area 2: Research and Development Projects

• Approximate total available funding: $40,000,000.00

• Approximate number of awards: up to 10

• Approximate dollar amount of individual awards: up to $5,000,000 with DOE contributing up to

$4,000,000 in Federal Funds

• Minimum cost share required: 20% of total project costs

• Approximate award project period: up to 60 months

• Anticipated length of individual budget periods: 12 months

1. Period of Performance

DOE anticipates making awards, comprised of multiple budget periods. DOE anticipates making one or more awards for Topic Area 1 with a period of performance up to five years, and one or more awards for Topic Area 2 with a period of performance up to two years. Once the period of performance ends (which includes any no-cost extension that DOE has the discretion to grant), there could be a re-competition or a new NOFO based on the program needs at that time. If applicable, project continuation will be contingent upon DOE’s Go/No-Go decision. For a complete list and more information on the Go/No-Go review, see the NOFO Part 2, Award Administration Information. Funding for all budget periods, including the initial budget period, is not guaranteed.

https://grants.gov/ mailto:support@grants.gov

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B. Executive Summary This NOFO seeks applications to address technological advancement across the front-end of the nuclear fuel cycle to ensure the development of a safe, sustainable and efficient domestic supply chain of enriched uranium, enhancing current processes, and addressing technology gaps. Applications will address mining/milling, conversion, enrichment, and/or deconversion.

C. Agency Contact Information Office of Nuclear Energy U.S. Department of Energy – Idaho Operations Office 1955 Freemont Ave Idaho Falls, ID 83402

For questions relating to this specific NOFO, please send emails to:

Contracting Officer: Mark Payne at paynemb@id.doe.gov Contracting Specialist: Jeff Rigby at rigbyja@id.doe.gov.

DISCLAIMER: Applicants are discouraged from submitting information considered proprietary unless it is deemed essential for proper evaluation of the application. If the application contains information that the applicant organization considers to be trade secrets, information that is commercial or financial, or information that is privileged or confidential, the pages containing that information must be identified as specified in the application instructions. When such information is included in the application, it will be withheld from public disclosure to the extent permitted by law, including the Freedom of Information Act, with the understanding that the information will be used or disclosed only for evaluation of the application. The information contained in the application will be protected by DOE from unauthorized disclosure, consistent with the need for merit review of applications of financial assistance awards to assure the integrity of the competitive process and the accuracy and completeness of the information. If a federal financial assistance award is made as a result of or in connection with an application, the federal government has the right to use or disclose the information to the extent authorized by law. This restriction does not limit the federal government’s right to use the information if it is obtained without restriction from another source.

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Section II: Eligibility

II. Eligibility

To be considered for substantive evaluation, an applicant’s submission must meet the criteria set forth below. If the application does not meet these eligibility requirements, it will be considered ineligible and removed from further evaluation. DOE will not make eligibility determinations for potential applicants prior to the date on which applications to this NOFO must be submitted. The decision whether to apply in response to this NOFO lies solely with the applicant. The information included here is specific to eligibility requirements for this NOFO. For eligibility requirements applicable to all NOFOs, please consult the NOFO Part 2, Eligibility.

A. Eligible Applicants To be considered for substantive evaluation, an applicant’s submission must meet the criteria set forth below. If the application does not meet these eligibility requirements, it will be considered ineligible and removed from further evaluation.

1. Domestic Entities Domestic entities are eligible to apply as recipients or subrecipients. The following types of domestic entities are eligible to participate as a recipient or subrecipient of this NOFO:

• Institutions of higher education;

• For-profit organization;

• Nonprofit organization;

• State and local governmental entities; and

• Indian Tribes, as defined in section 4 of the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance

Act, 25 U.S.C. § 53041

To qualify as a domestic entity, the entity must be organized, chartered, or incorporated (or otherwise formed) under the laws of a particular state or territory of the United States or under the laws of the United States; have majority domestic ownership and control; and have a physical place of business in the United States.

2. Foreign Entity Participation In general, foreign entities are eligible to apply as a prime recipient or as a subrecipient, subject to an approved waiver allowing foreign entity participation. In limited circumstances, DOE may approve a waiver to allow a foreign entity to participate.

A foreign entity may submit an application to this NOFO, but the application must be accompanied by an explicit written waiver request. Likewise, if the applicant seeks to include a foreign entity as a subrecipient, the applicant must submit a separate explicit written waiver request in the application for each proposed foreign subrecipient. Please see NOFO Part 2, Application Content Requirements for the

1 “Indian Tribe,” for the purposes of this NOFO and as defined in in section 4 of the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act (25 U.S.C. § 5304), means any Indian tribe, band, nation, or other organized group or community, including any Alaska Native village or regional or village corporation as defined in or established pursuant to the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (85 Stat. 688) [43 U.S.C. § 1601, et seq.], which is recognized as eligible for the special programs and services provided by the United States to Indians because of their status as Indians.

https://uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml?req=(title:25%20section:5304%20edition:prelim) https://uscode.house.gov/statutes/pl/92/203.pdf#:%7E:text=688%20PUBLIC%20LAW%2092-203-DEC.%2018%2C%201971%20%5B85%20STAT.,and%20for%20other%20purposes.%20Alaska%20Native%20Claims%20Settlement https://uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml?req=(title:43%20section:1601%20edition:prelim)

Version 1.0 Page 10 of 42 requirements for submission of a foreign entity waiver request. Waivers may be submitted any time before the applications is submitted or with the application submission. If a wavier is submitted before an application, the applicant is to document on the waiver, which application the waiver is connected with. The applicant does not have the right to appeal DOE’s decision concerning a waiver request.

Recipients must only be legally formed in the United States and have a physical location for business operations in the United States.

Entities that are organized, chartered, or incorporated (or otherwise formed) under the laws of the United States or a particular state or territory of the United States and have a physical location for business operations in the United States are eligible to apply for funding as a recipient or subrecipient.

Foreign Entity Participation A foreign entity is eligible to apply for funding as a recipient if it designates in the application a subsidiary or affiliate incorporated (or otherwise formed) under the laws of a state or territory of the United States to be the recipient. The application must state the nature of the corporate relationship between the foreign entity and domestic subsidiary or affiliate.

Foreign entities may request a waiver of the requirement to designate a subsidiary in the United States as the recipient in the application (i.e., a foreign entity may request that it be the recipient). To do so, the applicant must submit an explicit written waiver request in the application.

NOFO Part 2, Application Content Requirements lists the information that must be included in a request to waive this requirement. The applicant does not have the right to appeal DOE’s decision concerning a waiver request.

Participant Limitations Participation of the following entities are limited as follows.

• DOE FFRDCs2 are eligible to apply for funding as a subrecipient but are not eligible to apply as the prime recipient.

• Non-DOE FFRDCs are eligible to participate as a subrecipient but are not eligible to apply as the prime recipient.

• Federal agencies and instrumentalities (other than DOE) are eligible to participate as a subrecipient but are typically not eligible to apply as the prime recipient.

• The National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) is not eligible for award under this announcement and may not be proposed as a subrecipient on another entity’s application. An application that includes NETL as a recipient or subrecipient will be considered non-responsive.

Performance of Work in the United States All work for the awards under this NOFO must be performed in the United States. To request a waiver of this requirement, the applicant must submit an explicit waiver request in the application. Absent an approved waiver, such costs will not be allowable under the award. The NOFO Part 2, Application Content Requirements lists the requirements for submission of a foreign work waiver request.

2 FFRDCs are public-private partnerships that conduct research for the U.S. government. A listing of FFRDCs can be found at http://www.nsf.gov/statistics/ffrdclist/.

http://www.nsf.gov/statistics/ffrdclist/

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Ineligible Participants The following entities are ineligible for participation in this NOFO as a recipient, subrecipient, or subcontractor.

• In accordance with 2 CFR 200.214, entities banned from doing business with the U.S.

government such as entities debarred, suspended, or otherwise excluded from or ineligible for participating in federal programs.

• Entities identified on Department of the Treasury Office of Foreign Assets Control Treasury’s Sanctions Program Specially Designated Nationals list are prohibited from doing business with the United States government and are not eligible. See OFAC - Sanctions List Service (treas.gov).

• Nonprofit organizations described in Section 501(c)(4) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 that engaged in lobbying activities after December 31, 1995, are not eligible to apply for funding.

Entity of Concern Prohibition Entities of Concern are prohibited from participating in projects selected under this NOFO (see NOFO Part 2, Eligibility, Other Eligibility Information, Entity of Concern Prohibition section for details and definitions).

B. Limitation on Number of Applications Eligible for Review An entity may submit only one application for each topic area contained within this NOFO. If more than one application is submitted for each topic area, DOE will only review the last submission for each topic area. This limitation does not prohibit an applicant from collaborating on other applications (e.g., as a potential subrecipient or partner) so long as the entity is listed as the lead applicant on only one concept paper and one associated application submitted under this NOFO.

C. Cost Sharing Applicants are expected to follow through on estimated cost share commitments proposed in their applications if selected for award negotiations. Please refer to the NOFO Part 2, Eligibility for more information on Cost Sharing.

1. Cost Share Requirements The cost share must be at least 20% of the total project costs3 for research and development projects and 50% of the total project costs for demonstration and commercial application projects. The cost share must come from non-federal sources unless otherwise allowed by law.

Applications that do not meet the minimum required cost share will be deemed ineligible during the initial compliance review and will not be further reviewed.

The cost share percentage is calculated by dividing the cost share by the total allowable project costs for the award where the total allowable project costs include government share (including FFRDC costs if applicable) and cost share. To help applicants calculate proper cost share amounts, DOE has included a https://sanctionslist.ofac.treas.gov/Home/SdnList

Version 1.0 Page 12 of 42 cost share information sheet and sample cost share calculation in Part 2, Cost Share Calculation Examples.

D. FFRDC Eligibility Criteria

1. DOE and Non-DOE FFRDCs as a Subrecipient

If they have no conflict, DOE and non-DOE FFRDCs may be proposed as a subrecipient on another entity’s application subject to the following guidelines:

Authorization for non-DOE FFRDCs The federal agency sponsoring the FFRDC must authorize in writing the use of the FFRDC on the proposed project and this authorization must be submitted with the application. The use of a FFRDC must be consistent with its authority under its award.

Authorization for DOE FFRDCs The cognizant Contracting Officer for the FFRDC must authorize in writing the use of the FFRDC on the proposed project and this authorization must be submitted with the application. The following wording is acceptable for this authorization:

Authorization is granted for the Laboratory to participate in the proposed project. The work proposed for the Laboratory is consistent with or complementary to the missions of the Laboratory and will not adversely impact execution of the DOE assigned programs at the Laboratory.

Funding, Cost Share, and Subaward with FFRDCs Applicants may use Federally Funded Research and Development Centers (FFRDCs) as subrecipients as part of their proposed projects. If an applicant desires to use an FFRDC, an FFRDC field work proposal is to be completed as part of the application. The FFRDC must authorize in writing the use of the FFRDC on the proposed project and the proposed budget for the FFRDC. The FFRDC field work proposal, DOE Order 412.1.A and instructions related to completing the FFRDC field work proposal, can be found in NOFO part 2 section IV.B.9 (Page 21). The DOE funding office will provide funding for any DOE FFRDC, participating as a sub awardee under the DOE financial assistance award to the recipient.

The applicant should prepare the budgets using rates appropriate for funding the FFRDCs through subawards. The applicant’s cost share requirement will be based on the total cost of the project, including the applicant’s, the subrecipient’s, and the FFRDC’s portions of the project.

Limit on FFRDC Effort The scope of work to be performed by the FFRDC should not be more significant than the scope of work to be performed by the applicant.

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Section III: Program Description

III. Program Description

A. Background and Context The Office of Nuclear Energy is issuing this Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO). Awards made under this NOFO will be funded, in whole or in part, with funds appropriated by the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). In section 50173 of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) (117th Congress, H.R. 5376 (2021-2022)), Congress appropriated funding to carry out the Program elements of section 2001 of Energy Act of 2020.

DOE’s IRA investments will support efforts to build a clean and equitable energy economy that achieves a zero-carbon electricity system by 2035, and to put the United States on a path to achieve net-zero emissions economy-wide by no later than 20504 to benefit all Americans.

DOE will invest $80,000,000 over a five-year period to fulfill DOE-NE’s statutory obligations related to enriched uranium production and availability, thus ensuring continuous operation of existing nuclear reactors, facilitating the deployment of advanced nuclear reactors, and re-establishing US leadership in the global uranium fuel market by promoting a robust, sustainable, and resilient domestic commercial uranium fuel supply.

The activities to be funded under this NOFO support BIL sections In section 50173 of IRA (117th Congress, H.R. 5376 (2021-2022)), Congress appropriated funding to carry out the Program elements of section 2001 of Energy Act of 2020 and the broader government-wide approach by upgrading and modernizing infrastructure, including strengthening critical domestic HALEU nuclear manufacturing and ensuring development of a long term safe and sustainable carbon free power supply to maximize the benefits of the clean energy.

B. Program Purpose DOE’s investments will support efforts to build a clean and equitable energy economy that achieves a zero-carbon electricity system by 2035, and to put the United States on a path to achieve net-zero emissions economy-wide by no later than 2050 to benefit all Americans.

The mission of the Office of Fuel Supply Technology (FST) is to ensure that enriched uranium is available to domestic nuclear energy producers and advanced reactor developers at both LEU (<5% U-235) and HALEU (<19.75% U-235) enrichment levels. FST also oversees an R&D program that addresses key technical issues related to HALEU utilization by advanced reactor vendors. Cultivating a secure and resilient, and cost-effective domestic fuel supply for the nuclear energy industry ensures that Americans will continue to have access to clean, reliable, and efficient nuclear power generation sources. FST is responding to multiple legislative directives intended to strengthen the domestic LEU supply market and to establish a domestic HALEU supply and address knowledge gaps related to HALEU utilization.

Recent restrictions on the import of Russian-origin enriched uranium have resulted in a desire to reinforce domestic LEU supply for operating nuclear reactors, with this need codified by the Nuclear Fuel Security Act of 2023 (NFSA) (section 3131 of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2024 (Public Law 118–31), 42 U.S.C. 16282(c)). This legislation directs DOE to establish a program to

4 EO 14008, “Tackling the Climate Crisis at Home and Abroad,” January 27, 2021.

https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/presidential-actions/2021/01/27/executive-order-on-tackling-the-climate-crisis-at-home-and-abroad/

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C. Program Goals and Objectives This NOFO supports the administration goals laid out above by fulfilling DOE-NE’s statutory obligations related to improving enriched uranium production and availability, thus ensuring continuous operation of existing nuclear reactors, facilitating the deployment of advanced nuclear reactors, and re-establishing US leadership in the global uranium fuel market by promoting a robust, sustainable, and resilient domestic commercial uranium fuel supply.

The continuing escalation of cost and time to deliver enriched uranium for new and existing reactors necessitates deployments of enriched uranium supply chain technologies to reduce risk for HALEU/LEU supply chain efforts, communities, site workers, the nation, and the environment. Pursuing these technologies will provide industry additional options with potentially game changing benefits in the buildout of the HALEU/LEU supply chains.

Successful applications will demonstrate an understanding of the baseline technology, provide a description of the improvements the proposed concept offers, and identify the magnitude of improvement the concept may offer for each relevant characteristic. Proposed concepts should include a discussion of economic feasibility and should not include any overt barriers to NRC licensure.

D. Expected Performance Goals This NOFO seeks applications to address technological advancement across the front-end nuclear fuel cycle to ensure the development of a safe, sustainable and efficient supply chain of enriched uranium, enhancing current processes, and addressing technology gaps. Applicants will;

1. Validate near term commercial viability of improvements to the domestic enriched uranium supply chain, preferably through project planning and a reasonable business model.

2. Characterize the degree to which a successful application will improve the domestic supply chain including both short term and long-term impacts.

3. Identify risks and any significant obstacles, including design and technology issues, materials or feedstock sourcing, and regulatory hurdles that must be overcome.

4. Describe the availability of facilities, equipment, and other infrastructure necessary for completion of planned project activities as well as the relevance and depth of the team’s experience and capabilities as it relates to the likely successful completion of the project activities.

5. Provide project management and tracking systems necessary for the successful completions of performance goals. Scheduling shall include Go/No Go decisions at logical progress points, but no less often than annually.

6. Provide an early Go/No Go decision point to allow DOE to meet its potential obligations under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). Work in this first phase may only include scope that would be allowable interim actions under NEPA (see 40 CFR 1502.2(f) and 10 CFR 1021.211). The applicant should also be prepared to provide technical information to DOE during this phase to support a NEPA decision.

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E. Topic Areas The objective of this NOFO is to research, develop, and demonstrate technologies that will prioritize technological advancement across the domestic front-end nuclear fuel cycle to ensure the development of a safe, sustainable, and efficient enriched uranium supply chain. Applications will be accepted for the following Topic Areas:

Topic Area 1: Demonstration projects to be conducted at engineering-scale or pilot scale. These projects are intended to allow developers to gather process and performance data to enable near-term commercial implementation.

Topic Area 2: Applied R&D to be conducted at a laboratory-scale with the intent of process validation and characterization. These projects should rest on a strong scientific basis but may be relatively higher risk given their low level of technological development.

F. Applications Specifically Not of Interest The following types of applications will be deemed nonresponsive and will not be reviewed or considered (Please also refer to the Responsiveness Review section below):

• Applications that fall outside the technical parameters specified in Background and Context above and the Topic Areas section above.

• Applications for proposed technologies that are not based on sound scientific principles (e.g., violates the laws of thermodynamics).

• Applications that include a significant effort to support the back end of the enriched uranium supply chain (i.e. not mining/milling, conversion, enrichment, and/or deconversion).

G. Statement of Substantial Involvement DOE anticipates awarding cooperative agreements under this NOFO, which include a statement of DOE’s “substantial involvement” in the work performed under the resulting awards. For cooperative agreements, DOE does not limit its involvement to the administrative requirements of the award.

Instead, DOE has substantial involvement in the direction and redirection of the technical aspects of the project. DOE’s substantial involvement in resulting awards may include the following:

A. DOE shares responsibility with the recipient for the management, control, direction, and performance of the project.

B. DOE may intervene in the conduct or performance of work under this award for programmatic reasons. Intervention includes the interruption or modification of the conduct or performance of project activities.

C. DOE may redirect or discontinue funding the project based on the outcome of DOE’s evaluation of the project at the Go/No-Go decision point(s).

D. DOE participates in major project decision-making processes.

Responsibilities for DOE and Recipients are listed below:

a. Recipient Responsibilities:

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1) Performing the activities delineated in this cooperative agreement in accordance with the Project Management Plan, including providing the required personnel, facilities, equipment, supplies and services.

2) Defining and revising technical and managerial approaches and plans, submitting the plans to DOE for review, and incorporating DOE’s comments. Note: certain revisions require prior written Contracting Officer approval; the recipient has the responsibility to submit requests for such project revisions and other activities which require DOE prior approval in a timely manner.

3) Managing and conducting Project activities in accordance with established processes and procedures to ensure tasks and subtasks are completed within the schedule and budget constraints defined by the Project Management Plan and the cooperative agreement.

4) Coordinating Project activities with external organizations, including vendors, consultants and DOE M&O contractors (when applicable), to support effective integration of all work elements.

5) Supporting and attending DOE quarterly program review meetings and reporting Project status.

6) Notifying DOE of all planned, in-person meetings (including closed/non-public meetings) associated with the Project.

7) To meet DOE’s programmatic needs, and without imposing undue burdens on the Project, providing DOE with information on an as-needed basis to assist with responses to internal and external inquiries regarding Project performance and status. DOE will protect information in accordance with applicable regulations and as set forth in the cooperative agreement.

8) Submitting reports as provided in the Federal Assistance Reporting Checklist and addressing DOE’s comments that may result from its review of these reports.

9) Presenting the Project results at appropriate conferences or meetings as requested by the DOE Federal Manager.

b. DOE Responsibilities. DOE’s involvement in the Project will consist of the following normal

Federal stewardship responsibilities (see Section 1) below, as well as Substantial Involvement activities (see Section 2 below).

1) Normal Federal Stewardship Activities:

a) Approving recipient plans prior to award.

b) Providing technical assistance prior to the start of the activity, if requested by the recipient and agreed to by DOE.

c) Providing technical assistance to support the correction of deficiencies in Project or financial performance when reports or monitoring indicate the existence of a deficiency.

d) Reviewing financial, performance, and audit reports.

e) Reviewing performance to ensure that the objectives, terms, and conditions of the award are accomplished.

f) Providing general administrative requirements, such as prior approvals required by the financial assistance regulations and/or OMB Circulars.

g) Reviewing performance after completion.

2) Substantial Involvement Activities:

a) Reviewing Project plans and making recommendations for alternate approaches if the plans do not address critical programmatic issues.

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b) Conducting quarterly meetings to discuss performance (including a summary analysis of project variance), milestones, accomplishments, issues/challenges, and mitigations.

c) Collaboration with Awardee regarding technical progress and recommending alternate approaches or shifting work emphasis, if needed, to adequately address critical Project and/or programmatic issues. The DOE Federal Manager shall have the authority to issue written technical advice shifting the emphasis among different tasks or directing specific lines of inquiry likely to assist in accomplishing programmatic objectives.

d) Promoting and facilitating awareness activities, including disseminating, in consultation with the Awardees, project results through presentations and publications.

e) Serving as scientific / technical liaison between awardees and other project or industry staff.

f) The power to immediately halt funding an activity if detailed performance specifications are not met.

g) Participating in Project management planning activities, including risk analysis, to ensure

DOE’s programmatic requirements or limitations are considered in performance of the work elements.

There are limitations on recipient and DOE responsibilities and authorities in the performance of the project objectives. Performance of the project objectives must be within the scope of the Statement of Objectives, the terms and conditions of the cooperative agreement, and the funding and schedule constraints.

H. Statutory Authority The programmatic authorizing statute is from the Atomic Energy Act of 1954, as amended, and section 646 of the Department of Energy Organization Act.

In support of the HALEU Program, in section 50173 of Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 (IRA), Congress appropriated additional funding to carry out the HALEU Program elements of section 2001 of Energy Act of 2020 (P.L. 116-260).

Awards made under this announcement will fall under the purview of 2 CFR Part 200 as adopted and supplemented by 2 CFR Part 910.

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Section IV: Application Content and Form

IV. Application Content and Form

This section includes application information specific to this NOFO Part 1. Refer to the NOFO Part 2, Application Content and Form for standard information that applies to all DOE NOFOs such as formatting and content requirements, and funding restrictions.

A. Summary The application process includes the application and reply to reviewer comments.

Application Submission Phase Eligibility for Submission

Application Must be submitted by the Wednesday March 12, 2025, at 5:00pm Eastern Standard Time (EST) to be eligible for comprehensive merit review.

Replies to Reviewer Comments

Required to be submitted by the specified due date and time.

B. Application Content Requirements Each application must be limited to a single concept. Applications must conform to the following requirements and must not exceed the stated page limits. Please refer to the NOFO Part 2, Application Content and Form for a complete list of application requirements. Detailed guidance on the content and form of NOFO-specific requirements is provided following the Summary of Application Requirements table below.

2. Covered Individual Definition, Designation, and Responsibility

Several of the Application Content Requirements listed below and in the NOFO Part 2 are required of covered individuals.

Covered Individual means an individual who (a) contributes in a substantive, meaningful way to the development or execution of the scope of work of a project proposed for funding by DOE, and (b) is designated as a covered individual by DOE.

DOE designates as covered individuals any principal investigator (PI); project director (PD); co-principal investigator (Co-PI); co-project director (Co-PD); project manager; and any individual regardless of title that is functionally performing as a PI, PD, Co-PI, Co-PD, or project manager. Status as a consultant, graduate (master’s or PhD) student, or postdoctoral associate does not automatically disqualify a person from being designated as a “covered individual” if they meet the definition in (a) above.

The applicant is responsible for assessing the applicability of (a) above, against each person listed on the application (i.e. whether the person contributes in a substantive, meaningful way to the development or execution of the scope of work). Further, the applicant is responsible for identifying any such individual to DOE for designation as a covered individual, if not already designated by DOE as described above.

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The applicant’s submission of a current and pending support disclosure and/or bio sketch/resume for a particular person serves as an acknowledgement that DOE designates that person as a covered individual.

DOE may further designate covered individuals during award negotiations or the award period of performance.

1. Summary of Application Requirements

Component File Format

Page Limit

File Name

*Application for Federal Assistance

(SF-424)

** (NOFO Pt. 2 pg. 16)

PDF n/a Lead Applicant Name_SF-424

Technical Volume ** (NOFO Pt. 1 pg. 23)

PDF 50 Lead Applicant Name _Technical Volume

Impacted Indian Tribes Documentation (If applicable) ** (NOFO Pt. 2 pg. 17)

PDF n/a Lead Applicant Name _ Impacted Tribes

*Statement of Project Objectives (SOPO) ** (NOFO Pt. 2 pg. 20)

MS

Word

5 Lead Applicant Name _SOPO

*Project Management Plan ** (NOFO Pt. 2 pg. 20)

PDF 5 Lead Applicant Name _PMP

*Budget Justification-Applicant ** (NOFO Pt. 2 pg. 21)

PDF n/a Lead Applicant Name_ Budget Justification-Applicant

*Budget Justification-Subrecipient (If Applicable) ** (NOFO Pt. 2 pg. 21)

PDF n/a Lead Applicant Name Budget_ Justification-Subrecipient Name

*Research and Related Budget – Section A-B Form ** (NOFO Pt. 2 pg. 20)

MS

Excel n/a Lead Applicant Name_ Budget Justification Workbook-Applicant

*Budget Justification workbook- Subrecipient (If Applicable) ** (NOFO Pt. 2 pg. 20)

MS

Excel n/a Lead Applicant Name __Budget Justification Workbook- Subrecipient Name

*Field Work Proposal for FFRDC, (see DOE O 412.1A) ** (NOFO Pt. 2 pg. 21)

PDF n/a Lead Applicant Name_ FFRDC Work Proposal

Authorization for Non-DOE or DOE FFRDCs ** (NOFO Pt. 2 pg. 21)

PDF n/a Lead Applicant Name _FFRDC Authorization

Resumes (Research and Development- R&D) (Includes Subrecipients and Consultants) ** (NOFO Pt. 2 pg. 30)

PDF [10] Lead Applicant Name _Partner Docs https://www.directives.doe.gov/directives-documents/400-series/0412.1-BOrder-a-chg1-AdmChg https://www.directives.doe.gov/directives-documents/400-series/0412.1-BOrder-a-chg1-AdmChg

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Resumes (Non-Research and Development-R&D) (Includes Subrecipients and Consultants) ** (NOFO Pt. 2 pg. 31)

PDF 3 pages each

Lead Applicant Name _Resumes

*Current and Pending Support (for each covered individual) ** (NOFO Pt. 2 pg. 32)

PDF n/a Lead Applicant Name _CPS

Digital Persistent Identifier (for each covered individual) ** (NOFO Pt. 2, pg. 35)

N/A N/A Include in Current & Pending Support

Research Security Training Requirement (for each covered individual) ** (NOFO Pt. 2, pg. 35)

N/A N/A Include in Current & Pending Support

Transparency of Foreign Connections ** (NOFO Pt. 2, pg. 36)

PDF n/a Business Sensitive_ Lead Applicant Name_ TFC

Potentially Duplicative Funding Notice ** (NOFO Pt. 2, pg. 38)

PDF n/a Lead Applicant Name_ PDFN

*Location(s) of Work ** (NOFO Pt. 2 pg. 39)

Excel n/a Lead Applicant Name _LOW

*Offeror Environmental Report ** (NOFO Pt. 2 pg. 40)

PDF n/a Lead Applicant Name _Env Sum

*Environmental Impact Checklist ** (NOFO Pt. 2 pg. 40)

PDF n/a Lead Applicant Name _EIV

*Disclosure of Lobbying Activities, if applicable (SF-LLL) – (Two Forms) ** (NOFO Pt. 2 pg. 41)

PDF n/a Lead Applicant Name_ SF-LLL

Certification Regarding Lobbying (use if Disclosure of Lobbying Activities (SF-LLL) is not required) ** (NOFO Pt. 2 pg. 41)

PDF n/a Lead Applicant Name _ Certification Regarding Lobbying

*Summary for Public Release ** (NOFO Pt. 2 pg. 41)

PDF 2 Lead Applicant Name_ Summary

Summary Slide ** (NOFO Pt. 2 pg. 42)

MS

Power Point

2 Lead Applicant Name_ Slide

* DOE forms are provided as part of the NOFO solicitation package under Attachments on Grants.gov ** These references explain where further information can be found within NOFO Parts 1 or Parts 2 concerning the application topic

Submit completed applications via email to :

Primary Application Submission: Jeff Rigby-Email: rigbyja@id.doe.gov Secondary Application Submission: Mark Payne-Email: paynemb@id.doe.gov

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2. Technical Volume The Technical Volume must conform to the following content and form requirements. This volume must address the technical review criteria as discussed in Technical Review Criteria. Applicants may pick which Topic Area for which they wish to submit an application. Applications will be only accepted from each lead applicant for only one of the Topic Areas. Applicants may participate as a subaward in an unlimited number of applications.

Applicants must provide sufficient citations and references to the primary research literature to justify the claims and approaches made in the Technical Volume. However, DOE and reviewers are under no obligation to review cited sources.

The Technical Volume to the application may not be more than 50 pages, including the cover page, table of contents, and all citations, charts, graphs, maps, photos, or other graphics, and must include all information below. The applicant should consider the weighting of each of the technical review criteria (see Technical Review Criteria) when preparing the Technical Volume.

Topic Area 1: Demonstration

Technical Volume Content Requirements Overview

Section Approximate Percent Content of the Technical Volume

Cover Page N/A

Project Overview 10%

Technical Approach 20%

Financial and Market Viability 10%

Management and Organization 20%

Project Management Plan 30%

Risk Analysis and Mitigation 10%

Cover Page:

The cover page must include all the following:

• The project title.

• Specific NOFO topic areas (if applicable).

• Technical and business POCs.

• The project team, including recipient name, entity type and names of all team member organizations.

• The project location(s).

• The proposed federal funding level, cost share and period of performance.

• Senior/key personnel and other covered individuals.

• Statements regarding confidentiality.

Project Overview:

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This section must include a description of the following:

• The technology solution to be demonstrated.

• The major value proposition of the proposed solution, and the plan to translate pilot demonstration results into a commercial solution.

• The team’s rationale for pursuing this project.

• The high-level objectives and performance targets for the project.

• The demonstration location and why it was chosen.

• The impact of DOE funding and how the DOE funding, relative to prior, current, or anticipated funding from other public and private sources, is necessary to achieve the project objectives.

• How the project will enable further replication and/or extension of the project and approach.

Technical Approach:

This section must include a description of:

• The specific pilot system proposed for this project, including any existing engineering evaluations and design work.

• Operational characteristics and typical system architectures, including a system schematic.

• A justification of the system size chosen, including the relevance of this system size for future commercial operation

• A clear articulation of similarities and differences relative to the anticipated commercial system design.

• Preliminary supply chain assessment for pilot project and future commercial systems, including required critical minerals and raw materials.

• Current manufacturing approaches, comparison to anticipated manufacturing methods for commercial-scale deployments, and a discussion of how the system components will be procured or fabricated for this project.

• Test data and test reports from prior scale and an explanation of a path towards required performance levels.

• Performance Indicators, including o Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) that include the following: system capital costs, lifetime and degradation, and system physical size for (1) existing systems; (2) planned pilot system in this project; (3) targets for future commercial-scale systems. Discuss sources of lifetime limitations and degradation and how this pilot will mitigate those issues in preparation for future commercial deployment.

o Any additional metrics and associated target values that will be utilized to establish value of the proposed demonstration.

• Siting and test considerations that include the following:

o Data and information sharing agreements that will be necessary for the project, including information about which agreements are already in place and steps necessary to obtain the remaining agreements.

o Identification of key items such as contracts, required permits and other agreements necessary to accomplish the proposed project.

o Environmental impact of the proposed approach, including emissions changes from current operations and any other local air and water emissions or utilization impacts.

Financial and Market Viability:

This section must…