Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) - Clean Fuels & Products Shot: Supporting Carbon Utilization Products via Electrochemical Conversion and Refinery and Petrochemical Facilities Retrofitting | DE FOA 0003018

Opportunity Information: Apply for DE FOA 0003018

This funding opportunity, DE-FOA-0003018, is a U.S. Department of Energy effort being run by the Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management (FECM) in collaboration with the National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL). It is financed in whole or in part through the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, widely known as the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL), and it specifically supports activities authorized under BIL Section 40302. The government is using this FOA to push forward research and development that can turn carbon-based feedstocks into cleaner fuels, chemicals, and other products, with an emphasis on practical pathways that can reduce reliance on petroleum-derived components and help meet national climate targets.

The FOA is tied to DOE's Clean Fuels and Products Shot, an initiative aimed at helping the United States reach net-zero emissions by 2050 by accelerating sustainable feedstocks and conversion technologies. The underlying policy goal is not just incremental improvements, but building the technical foundation for major supply shifts by mid-century. The opportunity frames that ambition in concrete demand targets for 2050: meeting 100 percent of aviation fuel demand, 50 percent of maritime, rail, and off-road fuel demand, and 50 percent of carbon-based chemicals demand using sustainable carbon resources. In other words, DOE is looking for technology pathways that can scale toward the hard-to-decarbonize parts of the economy where liquid fuels and carbon-based molecules remain essential.

As indicated by the title, the program focus is on supporting carbon utilization products via electrochemical conversion and on retrofitting refinery and petrochemical facilities. Electrochemical conversion generally refers to using electricity (ideally low-carbon electricity) to drive chemical reactions that convert carbon-containing inputs into higher-value fuels or products. Retrofitting refineries and petrochemical plants points to the practical reality that much of the U.S. industrial base already exists, and large emissions reductions may come faster by upgrading and integrating new carbon utilization and conversion systems into existing facilities rather than building everything from scratch. Projects responsive to this FOA would be expected to advance the performance, durability, and integration readiness of these approaches, moving them toward real-world deployment conditions.

The funding mechanism is a cooperative agreement, which typically signals substantial federal involvement during the project period compared with a standard grant. The opportunity is categorized as discretionary funding and sits within energy, environment, and science and technology research and development. The CFDA/Assistance Listing number provided is 81.089. Eligibility is listed as unrestricted, meaning a wide range of applicant types may apply as long as they meet the detailed requirements in the FOA (the notice directs applicants to Section III for the full eligibility rules).

In terms of scale and timing, the opportunity lists an award ceiling of $6,000,000 per award and anticipates making about six awards. The FOA was created on 2024-06-27, and the original closing date is 2024-08-27. Those figures suggest a modest-sized portfolio intended to fund several parallel efforts rather than a single mega-project, which often aligns with R&D programs seeking to compare technical approaches, reduce risk, and build evidence for later-stage demonstrations.

The notice also references Modification 000001, which clarifies several important interpretive points. First, it updates language in the topic area descriptions to make clear that the FOA does not restrict conversion solely to CO2; it explicitly clarifies that conversion of carbon oxides is not restricted. Second, it replaces some instances of "CO2" with the broader term "carbon" throughout the document, which signals a wider scope of allowable carbon inputs or carbon-containing streams depending on the topic requirements. Third, it clarifies the medium-term test requirement for Topic Area 1, implying that certain projects (especially in electrochemical conversion) must meet defined testing durations or conditions to demonstrate stability and readiness beyond short bench-scale results.

Overall, this FOA is best read as a targeted BIL-funded R&D solicitation to accelerate carbon utilization and cleaner fuels/products technologies that can realistically plug into the existing industrial system. The government is signaling interest in solutions that not only work in the lab, but can also demonstrate credible pathways to integration, durability, and scale consistent with large 2050 demand targets for aviation fuels, heavy transport fuels, and carbon-based chemicals.

• The National Energy Technology Laboratory in the energy, environment, science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) - Clean Fuels & Products Shot: Supporting Carbon Utilization Products via Electrochemical Conversion and Refinery and Petrochemical Facilities Retrofitting" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 81.089.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2024-06-27.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2024-08-27. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $6,000,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 6 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Unrestricted.

Apply for DE FOA 0003018

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