Clean Energy Demonstrations
Active
- Assistance listing
- 81.255
- Agency
-
Department of Energy
- Grant awards
- 102 $6,035,169,462 in federal obligations
Program facts
- Also known as
- Office of Clean Energy Demonstrations
- Assistance types
-
- Cooperative Agreement
- Project Grant
- Treasury account
-
- 89-2297-0-1-270
- More information
Program details come from SAM.gov Assistance Listings. Updated . Grant award figures come from USAspending.gov.
About this program
The Department of Energy's Office of Clean Energy Demonstrations (OCED) is funding clean energy demonstration projects at scale through CFDA 81.255, with the most recent awards made on January 17, 2025. The program has awarded 102 cooperative agreements and project grants totaling $6.04 billion in federal funding, with combined federal and non-federal obligations reaching $67.6 billion—a sign of substantial private sector cost-sharing in this portfolio.
Award activity has accelerated sharply. Only 4 awards were made in 2023, but 83 were awarded in 2024 and 15 in early 2025, signaling that OCED has moved from planning to rapid deployment. The portfolio is dominated by Cooperative Agreements (81 percent of awards), with Project Grants accounting for 19 percent. The Department of Energy remains the sole funding agency across all 102 awards, concentrating 100 percent of decision-making and capital allocation within OCED.
The program funds demonstration of commercial-scale clean energy and decarbonization technologies. Recent awards target hydrogen hub infrastructure (the Heartland Hydrogen Hub at $3.26 billion and Mid-Atlantic Clean Hydrogen Hub at $2.66 billion), industrial electrification and process decarbonization (mechanical vapor recompression heat pumps, glass furnace retrofits, cement production with lower carbon intensity), carbon capture and storage systems (post-combustion capture at refineries and power plants), critical materials recycling (low-emissions copper recycling in Kentucky), direct air capture (1 million metric tons per year of atmospheric CO2 removal), energy storage (vanadium redox flow batteries for 10+ hour discharge), and renewable energy for remote and rural communities including tribal lands and microgrids.
Representative recent awards exemplify this diversity: Heartland Hydrogen Hub (awarded Jan 17, 2025, $3.26 billion) demonstrates clean hydrogen production for fertilizer and power generation across North Dakota, South Dakota, and Minnesota; Wieland's copper recycling facility in Shelbyville, Kentucky (awarded Jan 1, 2025, $689 million) will produce 35,000 metric tons per annum of refined copper for electric vehicles and electrical distribution; Cleveland-Cliffs' hydrogen-ready direct reduced iron facility in Ohio (awarded Sep 25, 2024, $2.73 billion) replaces blast furnaces for steel production. These awards are multi-billion-dollar projects with 10-year development and operational timelines.
A substantial number of opportunities remain open. DE-FOA-0003605 (Restoring Reliability: Coal Recommissioning and Modernization, due Feb 11, 2026 for Topic Area 1 following Amendment 0002) solicits retrofitting and repurposing of coal-fired generation assets for grid stability. DE-FOA-0003473 (Carbon Capture Demonstration Projects Program, due Jul 1, 2025) makes available up to $1.3 billion for integrated CCUS projects with federal cost shares of 50–80 percent. DE-FOA-0003428 (Energy Improvements in Rural or Remote Areas – FY 2025, due Aug 28, 2025) funds projects under $5 million for communities of 10,000 or fewer, supporting microgrids, renewable generation, transmission upgrades, and efficiency improvements. DE-FOA-0003399 (Energy Storage Pilot Demonstrations, due Feb 13, 2025) targets non-lithium, long-duration (10+ hour) energy storage technologies at pilot scale.
Funding has grown dramatically under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and Inflation Reduction Act, reflecting broad political support for domestic clean energy manufacturing and deployment. The program prioritizes community benefits including union jobs, workforce development, environmental justice, and meaningful engagement with tribal and disadvantaged communities. Recipients report project labor agreements, community advisory boards, and commitments to hire locally and prioritize underrepresented workers.
Objective and description
- Objective
The mission of the Office of Clean Energy Demonstrations (OCED) has been to deliver clean energy demonstration projects at scale in partnership with the private sector to accelerate deployment, and market adoption. OCED has multiple technology offic
- Description
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) established the Office of Clean Energy Demonstrations (OCED) to help scale the emerging technologies. OCED received more than $25 billion in funding from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act of 202 and Inflation Reduction Act to deliver clean energy demonstration projects at scale in partnership with the private sector to accelerate deployment, and market adoption.
Eligibility
- Applicant eligibility
All types of domestic entities are eligible to apply, such as profit organizations, private nonprofit institutions/organizations, universities, research organizations, state and local governments, and Indian Tribes, unless the funding opportunity announcement contains a "Determination of Restricted Eligibility". All information regarding eligibility requirements will be included in the specific funding opportunity announcement.
- Uses of assistance
Any restrictions will be specifically identified within the funding opportunity announcement.
- Length and time phasing of assistance
The time period is dependent upon funding opportunity announcement requirements and the individual project award.
How to apply
- Criteria for selecting proposals
Selection will be based on an objective merit review, program policy factors, the availability of funds, provisions of appropriation laws, reports, and as otherwise specified in specific solicitation document(s) at https//oced-exchange.energy.gov/.
- Award procedure
All applications which pass an initial review will receive an objective merit review. The objective merit review will be based on evaluation criteria set forth in the funding opportunity announcement(s) or criteria set forth in 2 CFR Part 200 for Unsolicited Proposals.
- Time to approval or disapproval
The date range may vary based on the complexity of the project, program requirements and other factors.
- Renewals
Cooperative Agreements may be amended or extended as detailed within the award terms and conditions.
- Appeals
All information regarding appeals will be included in the specific funding opportunity announcement.
Grant opportunities
Show all 22
Grant awards
Latest 10 of 102 listed here. See the rest on GovTribe.
Top recipients by federal obligations
| Rank | Recipient | Federal obligations | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cleveland-Cliffs Steel Corporation | $575,000,000 | 10% |
| 2 | Heidelberg Materials US Inc. | $504,992,811 | 8% |
| 3 | Century Aluminum Co | $500,000,000 | 8% |
| 4 | National Cement Company Of California, Inc. | $500,000,000 | 8% |
| 5 | Eastman Chemical Company | $375,000,000 | 6% |
| 6 | Exxon Mobil Corporation | $331,885,536 | 5% |
| 7 | Vale USA LLC | $282,853,376 | 5% |
| 8 | Wieland North America Recycling LLC | $270,000,000 | 4% |
| 9 | Technip Energies Usa, Inc. | $200,000,000 | 3% |
| 10 | Brimstone Commercial, LLC | $189,000,000 | 3% |
10 of 96 recipients listed here. See the rest on GovTribe.
Federal obligations by fiscal year
| Fiscal year | Federal obligations |
|---|---|
| FY2026 | -$591,830,094 |
| FY2025 | $6,159,142,809 |
| FY2024 | $454,671,496 |
| FY2023 | $13,185,241 |
Quick answers
What is Assistance Listing 81.255?
Assistance Listing 81.255 is Clean Energy Demonstrations, a federal grant program run by Department of Energy.
What is the CFDA number for Clean Energy Demonstrations?
Its CFDA number is 81.255: Assistance Listing numbers were called CFDA numbers before 2018.
How much funding has Assistance Listing 81.255 awarded?
102 grant awards under 81.255 have obligated $6,035,169,462 in federal funds to 96 recipients.
Who receives the most funding from 81.255?
The recipients obligated the most under Clean Energy Demonstrations are Cleveland-Cliffs Steel Corporation ($575,000,000), Heidelberg Materials US Inc. ($504,992,811) and Century Aluminum Co ($500,000,000).
How much did 81.255 obligate in fiscal year 2025?
Grants under 81.255 obligated $6,159,142,809 in federal funds in fiscal year 2025.
Are there open grant opportunities under 81.255?
No opportunity listed under 81.255 is open now. The latest, Restoring Reliability: Coal Recommissioning and Modernization, was posted on October 3, 2025.
On GovTribe
See this program's full record
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