WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - The U.S. Department of Energy has announced plans to issue notices of funding opportunities totaling nearly $1 billion to advance and scale mining, processing, and manufacturing technologies across key stages of the critical minerals and materials supply chains. The funding will help ensure a more secure, predictable, and affordable supply of critical minerals and materials that are foundational to American energy dominance, national security, and industrial competitiveness.
'For too long, the United States has relied on foreign actors to supply and process the critical materials that are essential to modern life and our national security,' said U.S. Secretary of Energy Chris Wright. 'Thanks to President Trump's leadership, the Energy Department will play a leading role in reshoring the processing of critical materials and expanding our domestic supply of these indispensable resources.'
The Advanced Materials and Manufacturing Technologies Office expects to release a NOFO of up to $50 million early this fall through the Critical Minerals and Materials Accelerator program. The CMM Accelerator promotes technology maturation that can unlock capital investments and facilitate domestic commercialization. The proposed NOFO addresses several areas of interest, including processes in the rare-earth magnet supply chain; processes to refine and alloy gallium, gallium nitride, germanium, and silicon carbide for use in semiconductors; cost-competitive technologies for direct lithium extraction and separation; and critical-material separation technologies that allow for the co-production of useful products from byproducts and scrap.
The Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management said it will issue a NOFO to support approximately $250 million of financial assistance for American industrial facilities that have the potential to produce valuable mineral byproducts from existing industrial processes.
The Office of Manufacturing and Energy Supply Chains announced that it is issuing a NOFO of up to $135 million to enhance domestic supply chains for rare earth elements.
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