FOA number: DE-FOA-0002735
Download the full FOA: FedConnect
FOA Amount: $1.2 billion

Background Information

On August 11, 2023, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced up to $1.2 billion to advance the development of two commercial-scale direct air capture facilities, as well as 19 additional projects that will support earlier stages of project development, including feasibility assessments and front-end engineering and design (FEED) studies.

These projects—the first of this scale in the United States—represent the initial selections from the President’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law-funded Regional Direct Air Capture (DAC) Hubs program, which aims to kickstart a nationwide network of large-scale carbon removal sites to address legacy carbon dioxide pollution and complement rapid emissions reductions. These emissions are already in the atmosphere, fueling climate change, extreme weather, and jeopardizing public health and ecosystems across the globe. The Hubs are expected to ensure meaningful community and labor engagement and contribute to the President’s Justice40 Initiative.

This funding is provided from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law Section 40308.

The deadline to submit applications for this funding opportunity has closed.

Topic Areas

This funding opportunity announcement has 3 topic areas:

1. Feasibility (Phase 0), enables projects that are still formulating their Regional DAC Hub concept to conduct relevant analysis, networking and stakeholder engagement necessary to advance projects from a concept stage
2. Design (Phase 1), allows for projects that have already completed some of the necessary activities at the feasibility stage but require time to execute FEED studies and to advance permitting
3. Build (Phases 2-4), enables projects that have completed a significant amount of work (e.g., DAC FEED and DAC Hub BOP pre-FEED) but require time for permitting, National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) compliance, and detailed design before commencing procurement, DAC Hub construction, operation, and capacity build out, if applicable

Awardees

Fourteen projects under topic area 1 (feasibility) will enable early-stage efforts to explore the feasibility of a potential DAC Hub location, ownership structure, and business model. Five projects under topic area 2 (design) will perform FEED studies that establish and define technical requirements focused on project scope, schedule, and costs to reduce risk during later project phases. Two projects under topic area 3 (build) will help further demonstrate the ability to capture and store atmospheric carbon dioxide at scale.

Awardees include:

Topic Area 1:

• Aera Federal, LLC
• ASRC Energy Services, LLC
• Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois
• Chevron New Energies, a division of Chevron U.S.A. Inc.
• Fervo Energy Company
• General Electric, GE Research
• Louisiana State University
• Northwestern University
• Power Research Institute, Inc.  
• The Regents of the University of California
• Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI)
• Siemens Energy, Inc.
• University of Kentucky Research Foundation

Topic Area 2:

• Arizona Board of Regents on behalf of Arizona State University  
• Carbon Capture Inc.
• Electric Power Research Institute, Inc.
• Southern States Energy Board
• University of North Dakota Energy & Environmental Research Center (EERC)

Topic Area 3:

• 1PointFive
• Battelle

A detailed list of the selected projects for topic area 1 (feasibility) and topic area 2 (design) can be found here.

A detailed list of the selected projects for topic area 3 (build) can be found here.

Learn more about topic area 1 and 2 selected projects and how DOE's investments will benefit communities across the country.

Key Dates

Additional Information

Last Updated: August 11, 2023