The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Alternative Fuels and Feedstocks Office (AFFO) announced its intent to award up to $60 million to expand domestic energy production and distribution through novel, high-impact chemicals, fertilizers, fuels, and feedstock technologies. The funding opportunity, Leveraging Domestic Infrastructure and Resources to Unleash Alternative Chemicals, Fuels, and Feedstocks, fulfills President Donald J. Trump’s Executive Order, Unleashing American Energy which calls for affordable and reliable domestic energy production and strong domestic supply chains to lower prices for hardworking Americans, including farmers, ranchers, and small businesses.
DOE will seek research, development and scale-up projects that harness existing domestic biomass, hydrogen, and pipeline resources to expand U.S. domestic energy production, distribution, and fertilizer technologies.
Topic Areas
AFFO expects to issue a notice of funding opportunity (NOFO) in November 2026, addressing the following topic areas:
Topic Area 1: Biointermediate Depots
Enhance the production of liquid intermediate-products that are made from biomass and establish pilot sites to produce traditional intermediate products such as high impact chemicals, sugars, bio-crudes, or bio-oils, from biomass and wastes. Projects under this topic area will derisk technologies for solids-to-liquids conversion, while also validating the economics of distributed depots that would operate on a hub-and-spoke model, sending intermediate products to a central hub (a refinery or biorefinery) for further upgrading to finished products.
Topic Area 2: Refinery Integration
Advance the production of commodity chemicals and fuels from alternative feedstocks using existing refinery assets and achieving production-costs that enable competitive market pricing. This topic area also supports research and development to advance technologies for processing intermediates in existing refinery or petrochemical infrastructure. For example, projects under this topic could conduct research into co-processing biocrudes or waste plastic oils with crude oil to determine impact on catalyst life, the mix and proportions of different end-products, and compatibility with the plant’s physical equipment.
Topic Area 3: Pilot Site for Hydrogen/Natural Gas Blending
Establish pilot sites for hydrogen and natural gas blending and the distribution/utilization of those blends to improve the reliability, scalability, suitability, performance and durability of distribution networks. Projects under this topic area will address stakeholder needs by evaluating the reliability and scalability potential associated with blending, including the suitability, performance, and durability of pipeline components. They may also provide valuable information that will help address the unique workforce needs related to hydrogen-natural gas blending. This site will represent an intermediate step prior to broader large-scale blending in commercial applications. Applicants should plan to leverage existing relevant assets and include a business and management plan for continued facility operation after the end of the DOE award.
View the NOI DE-FOA-0003648 on DOE eXCHANGE for more information on applicant eligibility and registration requirements. The full NOI is also available on Grants.gov.
Informational Webinar
Following the NOFO announcement, AFFO intends to host an informational webinar to discuss a new, streamlined application and review process.
Teaming Partner List
DOE expects to facilitate a Teaming Partner List should this NOFO be issued. The aim of the list is to help organizations find potential collaborators and form new project teams for this potential NOFO. The Teaming Partner List is available on DOE eXCHANGE under NOI DE-FOA-0003648. The list will be updated periodically to reflect new Teaming Partners who have provided their information until the close of the Full Application period.
Important Note: By asking to be on the Teaming Parter List, you agree that the information you provide can be shared publicly. By facilitating this List, DOE does not endorse or otherwise evaluate the qualifications of the entities that self-identify themselves for placement on the Teaming Partner List. DOE will not pay for the provision of any information, nor will it compensate any respondents for the development of such information.
This NOI is for informational purposes only; DOE is not requesting comments or applications at this time. All information provided here is subject to change. This notice serves to inform interested parties that DOE may issue a NOFO. Please be aware that any future NOFO could differ significantly from what is described here, or one may not be issued at all. DOE will provide a designated channel for questions once a NOFO is officially released.