LPO: Financing American Energy
Video Courtesy of the Department of Energy

The Department of Energy’s Loan Programs Office (LPO) finances large-scale, all-of-the-above energy infrastructure projects in the United States. 

LPO administers four distinct loan programs, but each offers a similar value to borrowers: 

  • LPO can provide first-of-a-kind projects and other high-impact energy-related ventures with access to debt capital that private lenders cannot or will not provide.
  • LPO can provide flexible, custom financing that helps to meet the specific needs of individual borrowers.
  • LPO encourages early engagement and is a valuable partner to applicants throughout the entire lifetime of a project.

To date, LPO has issued more than $35 billion of loans and loan guarantees for more 30 projects and has a proven track record including transforming existing energy infrastructure, reviving nuclear construction, accelerating growth of utility-scale solar and wind, expanding domestic manufacturing of electric vehicles, and improving the lives of all Americans by catalyzing new energy technology and creating jobs. Read more about LPO's History, Portfolio,and Technology Sectors it has supported. 

LPO’s in-house team has decades of financial, technical, legal, and environmental experience that it can leverage to deploy billions of debt capital in the following areas: 

ADVANCED TECHNOLOGY VEHICLES MANUFACTURING

Advanced Technology Vehicles Manufacturing (ATVM) Loan Program
Direct loans to support U.S. manufacturing of fuel-efficient, advanced technology vehicles and qualifying components

TRIBAL ENERGY

Tribal Energy Financing
Direct loans and partial loan guarantees for tribal energy development projects

C02 TRANSPORTATION INFRASTRUCTURE

CIFIA
Loan guarantees and grants to deploy carbon dioxide transportation infrastructure

Title 17 Clean Energy Financing Program

Title 17 Clean Energy Financing
Under the Title 17 Clean Energy Financing Program, LPO can provide loan guarantees for projects in the United States that support clean energy deployment and energy infrastructure reinvestment to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and air pollution.
Innovative Energy and Innovative Supply Chain
Clean Energy Financing for projects that deploy innovative clean energy technologies at commercial scale (Innovative Energy) Or Employ innovative manufacturing processes or manufacture innovative technologies at commercial scale (Innovative Supply Chain)
STATE ENERGY FINANCING INSTITUTIONS (SEFI)-SUPPORTED PROJECTS
Through the SEFI category of the Title 17 Clean Energy Financing Program, LPO can provide additional financial support to projects that align federal energy priorities with those of U.S. states
ENERGY INFRASTRUCTURE REINVESTMENT
The Energy Infrastructure Reinvestment (EIR) Program (Section 1706) guarantees loans to projects that retool, repower, repurpose, or replace energy infrastructure that has ceased operations or enable operating energy infrastructure to run more cleanly.