The Advanced Manufacturing and Recycling Grant Program will support small and medium-sized manufacturers in current and former coal communities that are focused on producing and recycling clean energy products, as well as investing in decarbonization at their facilities. Applications for Clean Energy Manufacturing and Recycling should aim to establish, re-equip, or expand an existing manufacturing or recycling facility for the production or recycling of advanced energy. Industrial Decarbonization, which is a new area of interest for the second round of the program, is focused on building or upgrading manufacturing facilities to substantially reduce greenhouse gas emissions and create low carbon materials. Projects under this funding program must occur in communities where coal mines have closed since December 31, 1999, or coal-fired power plants have closed since December 31, 2009. A mapping tool showing eligible communities under the program is available here.

In this second round, DOE will be prioritizing two areas of interest (AOI):

Area of Interest 1: Clean Energy Manufacturing and Recycling – The objective of this AOI is to increase domestic manufacturing and recycling capacity for materials, components, and systems needed for the clean energy transition. DOE is seeking applications for projects in this AOI to establish new, or reequip or expand, an existing manufacturing or recycling facility for the production or recycling, as applicable, of advanced energy property.

Area of Interest 2: Industrial Decarbonization – The overall objectives for this AOI is to reduce GHG emissions in the U.S manufacturing sector through substantial reductions in existing facilities and new builds that result in low carbon materials. While the focus of this FOA is on GHG emissions reductions, other pollutants and wastes are also relevant considerations for the projects and awards. These may include criteria air pollutants, hazardous air pollutants, and other pollutants or wastes subject to federal, state, or local regulations due to their ability to produce harmful environmental and health effects in the areas surrounding industrial facilities. Projects under AOI 2 are expected to maintain parity or reduce energy intensity with commercially available state-of-the-art technology unless otherwise justified by enabling deeper decarbonization, e.g., process electrification in preparation for a clean grid. Fundamentally, projects should not substantially increase the use of energy onsite, without an overall lifecycle benefit. Similarly, proposed projects under AOI 2 are expected to reduce environmental lifecycle emissions and not increase environmental burdens to local communities. DOE will prioritize projects that lead to a reduction in environmental impact. This AOI contains two (2) subtopics:

Subtopic AOI 2a: Re-equip an existing industrial or manufacturing facility with equipment designed to substantially reduce the greenhouse gas emissions of that facility through the installation of:

• Low- or zero-carbon process heat systems;
• Carbon capture, transport, utilization and storage systems;
• Technology relating to energy efficiency and reduction in waste from industrial processes; or
• Any other industrial technology that significantly reduces greenhouse gas Emissions.

Subtopic AOI 2b: Establish a new, or re-equip, or expand a manufacturing or recycling facility that produces materials that result in substantially lower carbon intensity compared to an appropriate industry benchmark and are not derived from a primary feedstock of palm fatty acid distillates or fossil fuels including coal, natural gas, and petroleum.