The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) said it plans to issue notices of funding opportunities totaling nearly $1 billion to advance mining, processing, and manufacturing technologies across key stages of the critical minerals and materials supply chains.
The proposed funding is being issued under President Trump’s Executive Order Unleashing American Energy and aims to ensure a “more secure, predictable, and affordable supply of critical minerals and materials.”
The DOE outlined several initiatives:
-
Critical Minerals and Materials Accelerator – Up to $50 million will be made available early this fall through the Advanced Materials and Manufacturing Technologies Office to mature technologies in areas such as rare-earth magnet supply chains, refining gallium and silicon carbide for semiconductors, direct lithium extraction, and co-production from industrial byproducts and scrap.
-
Mines & Metals Capacity Expansion – The Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management plans to offer around $250 million to pilot byproduct recovery of critical minerals from existing U.S. industrial facilities, including coal-based industries, to reduce commercial deployment risks.
-
Rare Earth Elements Demonstration Facility – The Office of Manufacturing and Energy Supply Chains will make up to $135 million available to demonstrate domestic refining and recovery of rare earth elements from mine tailings and waste streams. Projects require an academic partner and at least 50% cost-sharing.
-
Battery Materials Processing and Manufacturing Grant Program – Up to $500 million will be offered to expand U.S. processing, recycling, and manufacturing of critical materials such as lithium, graphite, nickel, copper, and rare earth elements for battery production, with a 50% cost-share requirement.
-
Recover Critical Minerals from Industrial Wastewater – The Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy will allocate $40 million through its RECOVER program to develop technologies for extracting critical minerals from wastewater, complementing traditional mining and reducing import dependence.
The DOE said the initiatives are designed to strengthen domestic capabilities, reduce reliance on foreign sources, and commercialize technologies that can secure a stable supply of materials vital to the U.S. economy.
Source: EVMagz
