DOE commits nearly $430 million to accelerate domestic clean energy manufacturing in former coal communities
Press release
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced $428 million for 14 projects to accelerate domestic clean energy manufacturing in 15 coal communities across the United States. The projects, led by small-and medium-businesses in communities with de-commissioned coal facilities, were selected by DOE’s Office of Manufacturing and Energy Supply Chains (MESC) to address critical energy supply chain vulnerabilities. Five of the projects will be in, or adjacent to, disadvantaged communities, and every project will include a community benefits plan developed to maximize economic, health and environmental benefits in the coal communities that power our nation for generations.
In a statement, MESC said, “each project further positions the United States to win the competition for the 21st century and strengthen our national security by building supply chains for existing and emerging technologies in America, built by American workers with American materials. The projects will leverage over $500 million in private sector investment into small- and medium-manufacturers and create over 1,900 good-paying, high quality jobs.”
“The transition to America’s clean energy future is being shaped by communities filled with the valuable talent and experience that comes from powering our country for decades,” said U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm. “By leveraging the know-how and skillset of the former coal workforce, we are strengthening our national security while helping advance forward-facing technologies and revitalize communities across the nation.”
The global market for clean energy and carbon reduction technologies is anticipated to reach a minimum of $23 trillion by 2030.
The fourteen projects selected for negotiation of award focus on manufacturing products and materials that address multiple needs in the domestic clean energy supply chain. The selections will address five key supply chains – grid components, batteries, low-carbon materials, clean power generation, and energy efficiency products.
o Anthro Energy- Louisville, KY - $24.9 million selection to retrofit a facility to enable the domestic production of advanced electrolyte for use in Lithium-ion battery (LIB) cells in electric vehicles (EV), defense applications, and consumer electronics.
o CleanFiber-Chehalis, WA and Ennis, TX - CleanFiber’s locations in Washington and Texas are selected to receive $10 million each to establish two separate 60,000 square-foot production facilities produce an advanced form of cellulose insulation from recycled cardboard.
o TS Conductor- Erie, MI - $28.2 million selection to establish U.S.-based manufacturing of High Voltage Direct Current (HVDC) conductors and other advanced conductors that enable a secure and resilient clean grid.
o Furno Materials Inc- Chicago, IL - $20 million selection to construct a new circular, low carbon cement production facility. The facility will use recycled industrial waste materials as feedstock to make low-carbon Ordinary Portland Cement, reducing carbon intensity by 47 percent, and creating 80 total jobs with above average wages and benefits.
o Hempitecture Inc- Rogersville, TN -$8.42 million selection to create an industrial fiber hemp processing and manufacturing facility produce high performing products, with a 60-80 percent reduced carbon intensity, for the building materials, packaging, and automotive industry.
o Infinitum-Rockdale, TX - $34 million selection to establish a manufacturing facility to produce heavy copper, high-powered printed circuit board (HP-PCB) stators.
o MetOx International- Southeast, U.S. - $80 million selection to establish Project Arch, an advanced superconductor manufacturing facility, critical to expanding grid capacity to enable accelerated deployment of renewable energy, electric vehicle charging infrastructure, hyperscale AI data centers, and large manufacturing loads.
o Moment Energy Inc- Taylor, TX - $20.3 million selection to establish the first UL1974 Certified manufacturing facility in the United States to repurpose EV batteries to produce safe, reliable, and affordable battery energy storage systems.
o Mainspring Energy Inc- Coraopolis, PA -$87 million selection to establish a state- of-the-art manufacturing facility near Pittsburgh to produce 1,000 linear generators that can run on any gaseous fuel, and change fuels without any hardware changes.
o RG Resource Technologies Inc- Lansing, MI - $5 million selection to retrofit a manufacturing facility in Lansing to produce 120,000 units/yr production of their solar photovoltaic + thermal capture (PVT) system.
o Sparkz Inc.- Bridgeport, WV - $9.8 million selection to create a first-of-its-kind battery-grade iron phosphate (FePO4) plant in the United States.
o Terra CO2 Holdings- Magna, UT - $52.6 million selection to establish a new manufacturing facility to produce an innovative high-performing Supplementary Cementitious Material (SCM), a 70 percent lower emission and cost-effective replacement for traditional Ordinary Portland Cement.
o Urban Mining Industries- Indiantown, FL and Baltimore, MD - $37 million selection to develop manufacturing plants that will convert recycled glass, most of which would have otherwise gone to landfill, into a ground glass pozzolan, which is used to replace up to 50 percent of carbon-intensive cement in concrete mixes, which can drastically reduce embodied emissions while increasing resistance to road salts and increasing reflective properties.