Under the Title 17 Clean Energy Financing Program, LPO can finance projects in the United States that support clean energy deployment and energy infrastructure reinvestment to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and air pollution. Title 17 was created by the Energy Policy Act of 2005 and has since been amended, most recently by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act in 2021 and the Inflation Reduction Act in 2022. The legislation expanded the scope of Title 17 to include certain state-supported projects and projects that reinvest in legacy energy infrastructure, and it leverages additional loan authority and funding available for projects involving innovative energy technologies.

There are four project categories within the Title 17 Clean Energy Financing Program:

• Innovative Energy
• Innovative Supply Chain
• State Energy Financing Institution (SEFI)-Supported
• Energy Infrastructure Reinvestment (EIR)

Innovative Energy provides financing for projects that deploy New or Significantly Improved Technology that is technically proven but not yet widely commercialized in the United States. (See page 15 of the Program Guidance or the Title 17 Interim Final Rule for a definition of New or Significantly Improved Technology.)

Through the Title 17 Clean Energy Financing Program, borrowers can access:

• Direct loans from U.S. Treasury’s Federal Financing Bank (FFB) backed by 100% “full faith and credit” DOE guarantees, OR
• DOE partial guarantees of commercial debt

Interest Rate: For FFB loans backed by a DOE loan guarantee, the interest rate is: U.S. Treasury curve, plus a liquidity spread equal to “three-eighths” (0.375%), plus a risk-based charge:

• The Treasury rate is fixed at the day or days the funds are drawn, according to loan tenor.
• LPO may buy down the risk-based charge for certain projects.

The value of partnering with LPO through the Title 17 Clean Energy Financing Program

• Access to patient capital
• Detailed technical due diligence
• Flexible, custom financing
• Committed partnership and specialized expertise

Costs and Fees

• No application fees
• External advisor fees: Payable directly to advisors starting at due diligence; an eligible project cost financeable by LPO. Expenses accrue and typically range from $1 million to $3 million for deals that reach financial close. The applicant is responsible for accrued third-party fees regardless of whether the deal reaches financial close.
• Facility fee: Due at financial close; an amount equal to 0.6% of the portion of the principal amount of the guaranteed obligation that does not exceed $2 billion, plus 0.1% of the portion of the principal that exceeds $2 billion.
• Maintenance fees: Due annually after financial close; the amount of the Maintenance Fee is typically in the range of $150,000 to $200,000 per calendar year, although can be up to $500,000 per year depending on the complexity of the loan.

Application Process

The application process is standard across the four Title 17 project categories and is designed to identify strong candidates for LPO financing, support them in preparing comprehensive applications, and assess the risk and value of the proposed projects. The duration varies based on the applicant’s level of preparation and project complexity, but it typically takes a minimum of six months to more than a year.

If you have a project that may be eligible for financing through the Title 17 Clean Energy Financing Program, please request a no-cost pre-application consultation.