Direct Air Capture and Storage Technology Commercialization Grants is a grant from the U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Clean Energy Demonstrations that funds the design, construction, and operation of regional direct air capture (DAC) hubs and commercialization of DAC solutions for removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.

The program supports up to four regional DAC hubs and offers project funding up to $50 million per award, with up to $250 million for hub-scale projects and up to $1. 8 billion committed across all topic areas. Eligible applicants are for-profit companies developing carbon mitigation technology.

The deadline for this notice of intent cycle was March 31, 2026.

This is a Notice of Intent only. OCED may issue a NOFO as described herein, may issue a NOFO that is significantly different than the NOFO described herein, or may not issue a NOFO at all.

# Notice of Intent No.: DE-FOA-0003429 DISCLAIMER: The “Notice of Intent to Issue” is for informational purposes only; the Department of Energy is not seeking comments on the information in this notice and applications are not being accepted at this time. Any information contained in this notice is subject to change.

This Notice of Intent (NOI or Notice) describes a preliminary plan that will evolve during the Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) development process.

# This is a Notice of Intent to Issue: # Notice of Funding Opportunity No.: # Regional Direct Air Capture Hubs – The Office of Clean Energy Demonstrations (OCED) intends to issue a Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) entitled “ Regional Direct Air Capture Hubs – Recurring Program ” in the fourth quarter of 2024.

The goal of this NOFO, along with potential subsequent re-openings and related solicitations (collectively, “the Program”), is to support the commercialization of direct air capture (DAC) solutions and the development of four regional DAC hubs. Up to $1. 8 billion across all topic areas Project Funding Up to $250 million Up to $50 million Federal > different than the NOFO described herein, or may not issue a NOFO at all.

Key Objectives  Design, build, and The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA, Public Law 117-58), also known as the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) authorized the Office of Clean Energy Demonstrations (OCED). 1 This NOFO is supported under the Regional Direct Air Capture Hubs program.

2 OCED was established to build on DOE’s expertise in clean energy research and development and expand DOE’s scope to fill a critical gap in demonstration of first-of-a-kind technologies. OCED’s mission is to deliver clean energy demonstration projects at scale in partnership with the private sector to accelerate deployment, market adoption, and the equitable transition to a decarbonized energy system.

OCED is a multi-technology office with funding for demonstrations that include advanced nuclear, clean hydrogen, carbon management, long-duration energy storage, industrial decarbonization, and more.

With a clear role in commercializing critical clean energy technologies, OCED fills the gap between the research, development, and early-stage demonstration projects, including those within DOE technology offices, and initial deployments supported by the private sector and/or other DOE programs, such as the Loan Programs Office. > 1IIJA Section 41201 (42 U.S.C. § 18861).

> 2IIJA Section 40308 (42 U.S.C. § 16298d(j)). This is a Notice of Intent only.

OCED may issue a NOFO as described herein, may issue a NOFO that is significantly > different than the NOFO described herein, or may not issue a NOFO at all. OCED’s portfolio in the carbon management sector includes the $3. 5 billion Regional Direct Air Capture (DAC) Hubs program, which it manages in partnership with DOE’s Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management (FECM).

The DAC Hubs program will continue to fund projects that contribute to the development of four regional DAC hubs, as directed by the BIL. Each hub will demonstrate a DAC technology or suite of technologies at a commercial scale with the capacity to capture at least 1 million metric tons 3 of carbon dioxide (CO 2) annually from the atmosphere.

Once captured, the CO 2 will be permanently stored in a geologic formation or utilized in new products. The first funding opportunity under the program ( DE-FOA-0002735 , “FOA-1”) was released in December 2022 and announced over $1. 4 billion to eligible projects.

In August 2023, DOE announced the selection of 21 projects from FOA-1 for award negotiations across various project readiness levels spanning pre-construction planning, front-end engineering design (FEED) studies, and feasibility studies for facilities with an annual CO 2 capture capacity of at least 50,000 tons per year (TPA).

Those projects also reflect diversity in aspects of technology, geography, organizational structure, energy inputs, and storage or utilization types, among others. In February 2024, DOE released a Request for Information ( DE-FOA-0003333 , the “mid- scale RFI”) focused on the role of mid-scale commercial DAC facilities. Technology Readiness Level (TRL) 4 varies widely across the nascent, but rapidly advancing DAC field.

5,6 A small number of technologies have achieved TRL 7 or greater with a commercial, revenue-generating facility. 7 The largest such facility currently operating has a target nameplate capture capacity of 36,000 TPA, and the largest facility in construction has a nameplate capture capacity of 500,000 TPA.

8,9 Even among the relatively small group that is already commercially active, there is diversity in their capture and regeneration methods, energy input types, and carbon storage approaches. Meanwhile, dozens of newer technologies are currently at TRL 4–6, with companies planning and building pilot and commercial facilities on a path towards larger deployments, and others are being explored at earlier TRL levels.

These technologies encompass a wide range of solid sorbent and liquid solvent approaches, with significant diversity within those categories, while also spanning a range of designs based on modularity or larger economies of scale.

Generally, the highest priority areas of technology development include (among others):  Optimizing contactor design, materials, and processes to achieve more efficient capture and regeneration performance and greater scalability in a wide range of environmental  Reducing the energy required for capture and desorption of the CO 2  Reducing non-energy resource intensity (e.g., water, land use, other process input  Integrating renewable, variable, and/or waste energy sources while not competing with other uses of clean power > 3Throughout this document, tons refers to metric tons > 4https://www.

directives. doe. gov/directives-documents/400-series/0413.

3-EGuide-04/@@images/file > 5https://liftoff. energy. gov/carbon-management/ > 6https://roads2removal.

org/wp-content/uploads/07_RtR_Direct-Air-Capture. pdf > 7Revenue for these facilities seems to be largely or entirely based on the sale of carbon removal credits > 8https://climeworks. com/plant-mammoth > 9https://www.

1pointfive. com/projects/ector-county-tx This is a Notice of Intent only. OCED may issue a NOFO as described herein, may issue a NOFO that is significantly > different than the NOFO described herein, or may not issue a NOFO at all.

Commercial Adoption Readiness Level (ARL) 10 challenges for DAC include (among others):  Delivered cost: Today’s costs are higher than many voluntary carbon dioxide removal (CDR) buyers will pay, and future cost reductions, while projected, are uncertain.  Infrastructure and siting : Finding or developing sites with access to low-carbon energy sources and carbon offtake 11 services holds back commercial DAC projects.

 Project development : Differentiation in roles between technology development and project development is only now emerging in the DAC industry.

 Demand maturity/Market size : Voluntary purchases of DAC credits may eventually need to be supplanted by policy-based demand from compliance markets and government procurement programs to reach a scale relevant to climate stabilization  Capital flow : There may be reluctance to invest in DAC technologies due to remaining technical risk, uncertainty around future demand, and higher costs vs. other CDR  Community, environmental, and safety concerns : Some communities are reluctant to host DAC projects because of environmental or social concerns about the technology, cumulative impacts of pollution or other factors, past environmental violations related to the project or its proponent, or a project’s land use, proximity to disadvantaged or Tribal communities or important natural or cultural resources.

These factors can lead to permitting delays and viability concerns.  Supply chain : Supply chains for materials and components needed by some DAC approaches are underdeveloped, and suppliers may not want to make significant investments in scaling without further growth in the DAC industry.

 Workforce : The emerging DAC industry, along with many other new clean energy industries, faces risks associated with the human capital and capabilities required to design, produce, install, maintain, and operate the technology solution at scale. OCED expects the Program to complement FOA-1 projects, as well as prior and existing DOE efforts, to address remaining technical and commercial adoption challenges.

12 FECM has issued multiple solicitations for DAC technology development, beginning as early as 2017. FECM currently administers both the DAC Pre-Commercial Prize for early-stage technology development and commercialization support, as well as the Commercial DAC Pilot Prize to support 500+ TPA DAC facilities.

FECM has also funded over half a dozen FEED and pre- FEED studies assessing several DAC technologies in different geographies and CO 2 disposition configurations. Other DOE offices and programs have also funded projects relevant to DAC (e.g., carbon storage and utilization).

The Program is designed to provide DAC industry technology and project developers with support at various stages on their commercialization path towards the establishment of four regional DAC hubs, building on the momentum and potential of projects selected under FOA-1, other DOE-supported initiatives, and privately funded activities.

The Program seeks to realize the potential of the diverse DAC technologies that have achieved or are approaching > 10 https://www. energy. gov/technologytransitions/adoption-readiness-levels-arl-complement-trl > 11 The term offtake in this document refers to the transportation, storage, and/or utilization of the physical carbon dioxide generated > from the DAC facility, not the sale of carbon credits.

> 12 The Program seeks to address all ARL challenges by selecting a portfolio of projects that individually address some or all of them This is a Notice of Intent only. OCED may issue a NOFO as described herein, may issue a NOFO that is significantly > different than the NOFO described herein, or may not issue a NOFO at all.

commercial readiness, while addressing the most critical ARL obstacles to their adoption and # Technical and Commercial Program Priorities To lower costs, reduce resource intensity, and drive demand, the DAC industry must continue to innovate and bring promising new technologies from pilot to commercial scale.

The eventual success of four megaton hubs is more likely to come from a combination of the first generation of DAC technologies ready for large-scale demonstration today, and the next generations of technologies (from new startup companies as well as early industry incumbents) which are quickly approaching commercial readiness.

To improve DAC’s value proposition, the Program will invest most of the remaining funds in large-scale facilities (TA-3), while also investing some funds in MSC facilities (TA-2) and supporting ISPs (TA-1) that newer DAC developers will need By offering these topic areas through recurring openings, the DAC industry will have a variety of options in both scale and timing terms to access funding and contribute to the success of the four regional DAC hubs.

Projects will have opportunities to form partnerships across topic areas through these recurring openings, as well as through an application process designed to enable teaming, and potentially through other DOE-organized networking events.

Additionally, flexible funding ranges within the Program’s topic areas will allow DOE to selectively support the Overcoming infrastructure, project development, and capital flow obstacles is also central to the design of the Program.

The Program reduces the minimum capture capacity for large-scale facilities to 25,000 TPA, down from the 50,000 TPA required by FOA-1, which will lower the amount of capital a developer must raise in co-financing. The Program will also offer more flexibility than FOA-1 in how a hub can be formed.

Rather than require that a hub project apply as a single coordinated application, the Program will allow one or more large-scale facilities selected independently by DOE to comprise a hub.

These future TA-3 selectees may contribute capture capacity to a new regional hub or add capacity in a region with existing hub projects, and the full extent of the eventual four hubs will be determined by subsequent rounds of project DOE envisions that the four hubs may consist of coordinated or independent DAC facilities, and related activities, within a single state or multi-state region.

Any large-scale facilities selected under TA-3 would either contribute capacity in a region with existing hub projects, or form part of a new hub. Subsequent Program openings may include geographic eligibility restrictions, but restrictions are not planned for the initial opening.

Mid-scale facilities (MSCs) and infrastructure scaling platforms (ISPs) would ideally be located within a regional hub, although DOE does not expect that will be required, based on responses to the mid-scale RFI that indicated siting flexibility is critical to the success of MSC projects.

Funding for TA-2’s MSC facilities will help DAC developers navigate perhaps the most challenging phase of their scaling journey, according to industry’s responses to the mid-scale RFI. At this stage, clean energy inputs and carbon offtake are necessary to enable the sale of either carbon removal credits and/or low emissions CO 2 for another product like synthetic fuels.

The responses indicated that public funding for MSC facilities would greatly accelerate progress This is a Notice of Intent only. OCED may issue a NOFO as described herein, may issue a NOFO that is significantly > different than the NOFO described herein, or may not issue a NOFO at all.

in the DAC industry generally and play a key role in the success of the four regional DAC hubs by de-risking many aspects of future larger-scale deployments. Funding for TA-1’s ISPs will provide DAC developers in early commercialization stages with an existing site, access to low- carbon energy and carbon offtake, and other shared resources.

DOE expects TA-1 ISPs will substantially lower infrastructure, value chain, and project development ARL obstacles for TA-2 projects, FOA-1 technology partners, and other future hub contributors. All projects are expected to generate high-fidelity operational data sets that enable detailed technical and financial modeling, and assessments such as environmental impacts and the social cost of GHG avoided 13 from the project.

Lastly, a continued emphasis on community benefits plans is integral to a DAC project’s design, selection, and execution and will help address community concerns and ensure the creation of high-quality jobs at both the project facilities and in corresponding supply chains.

Investment in economically distressed and energy communities and maximizing the creation of long-term employment and skilled training opportunities for regional residents are statutory priorities for Funding will be offered to the three complementary project categories described below.

Topic Area 1 : Infrastructure Scaling Platforms Through TA-1, DOE intends to provide funding to create a host site—or infrastructure scaling platform (ISP)—for DAC developers at the early stages of commercialization (e.g., small-scale and mid-scale facilities).

These ISP sites will give DAC developers a place to build and operate facilities with access to shared post-regeneration CO 2 conditioning processes, such as dehydration, oxygen removal, and compression.

Additionally, ISPs will be expected to provide access to the other critical elements that are required to make a DAC facility commercially viable, namely: 1) clean energy and 2) CO 2 offtake, such as geologic storage, integration into a carbon-based conversion process or utilization in a valuable product, and/or a pipeline or other mode of CO 2 transportation to those facilities if not co-located at the ISP.

Funding will go towards the design, permitting, National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) review, community benefits activities, construction, and operation of an ISP. TA-1 applicants will be expected to be ready for pre-construction project development if a FEED study already exists. Otherwise, projects may seek funding for a FEED study as an initial phase.

DOE anticipates several profiles as potential ISP candidate sites. Existing test centers, industrial facilities (e.g., hydrogen production), power generation facilities, e-fuels production sites, characterized CO 2 storage reservoirs, and other locations may already have one or more of the critical elements for establishing an ISP.

Additionally, some of the DOE- and privately-funded DAC projects advancing in the U.S. may themselves be good candidates for ISP sites. A stand- alone greenfield development of an ISP could also be appealing. DOE will welcome applications from a diverse set of applicants to find the host sites that maximize the impact of Federal funding and benefit to DAC developers.

Additionally, DOE welcomes a variety of business > 13 Applicants may use the social cost of greenhouse gases calculation such as that developed by the Environmental Protection > Agency, found at https://www. epa. gov/environmental-economics/scghg This is a Notice of Intent only.

OCED may issue a NOFO as described herein, may issue a NOFO that is significantly > different than the NOFO described herein, or may not issue a NOFO at all. models (e.g., fee-based, revenue sharing) that balance financial sustainability for the ISP with benefits to DAC developers.

To be considered for TA-1, the applicant must submit the following: 1) energy and access to offtake (i.e., storage, utilization) resources or services, 2) business plan, and 3) initial list of Projects may propose a variety of carbon offtake applications, including permanent geologic storage and utilization in short-lived or long-lived products.

Projects that envision the majority of their captured CO 2 will be vented (“catch-and-release”) will not be considered. Topic Area 2 : Mid -Scale Commercial DAC Facilities Through TA-2, DOE seeks to fund mid-scale commercial (MSC) DAC facilities as supplemental contributors to the creation and expansion of four regional DAC hubs with megaton capacity.

Funding will go towards the design, permitting, NEPA review, community benefits activities, construction, and operation of an MSC facility. As needed, funding may also go towards developing or creating access to clean energy and carbon transportation, storage, and/or utilization facilities and resources. TA-2 applicants will be expected to be ready for pre- construction project development if a FEED study already exists.

Otherwise, projects may seek funding for a FEED study as an initial phase.

DOE may also offer TA-2 projects an accelerated timeline for accessing funding for early design-phase work (e.g., pre-FEED or FEED study) for a large-scale facility as a fast-track towards a future TA-3 award 14 to shorten the timeline between initial mid-scale and subsequent Each MSC facility is expected to target a nominal gross capture capacity of between 2,000 and 25,000 TPA.

The facility can reach that total capacity in one or more build stages, as long as no stage is less than 2,000 TPA. Applicants will also need to convey a compelling vision for deploying the technology at a scale of at least 100,000 TPA following a successful mid-scale demonstration. Operational lifespan may vary based on the MSC facility’s expected role in subsequent large-scale deployments.

MSC projects are expected to demonstrate the first commercial application (e.g., integrated with storage or utilization, generating revenue) of a DAC technology at this order-of-magnitude scale. Projects may propose a variety of carbon offtake applications, including permanent geologic storage and utilization in short-lived or long-lived products.

Projects that envision the majority of their captured CO 2 will be vented (“catch-and-release”) will not be considered. Robust life cycle assessment (LCA) and measurement, reporting, and verification (MRV) will be required.

To be considered for TA-2, the applicant must submit the following reference facility data 15 : 1) 1,000 hours of testing data from the reference facility, 2) not less than TRL 6 with validation of all core processes handling capture, regeneration, and energy integration, 3) not less than 1/25 th the nominal gross capture capacity of the proposed MSC facility (e.g., a minimum of 80 > 14 Such additional funding would not be guaranteed and would be at DOE’s discretion based on project performance, availability of > funds, and other portfolio-level factors.

> 15 Applicants should expect to provide reference data at the time of application, though some accommodation may be made for > projects proposing a FEED study as an initial design phase deliverable, if reference data is in the process of being collected. This is a Notice of Intent only.

OCED may issue a NOFO as described herein, may issue a NOFO that is significantly > different than the NOFO described herein, or may not issue a NOFO at all. TPA for a proposed facility of 2,000 TPA).

Additionally, DOE will assess risk and readiness by examining any proposed changes to the components, design, materials, integration, or scale of the individual unit operations responsible for core capture, regeneration, and energy integration steps.

DOE expects that a TA-2 project may propose some changes to the design and scale of Topic Area 3 : Large -Scale Commercial DAC Facilities Through TA-3, DOE seeks to fund large-scale commercial (LSC) DAC facilities as the primary contributors to the creation and expansion of four regional DAC hubs with megaton capacity.

Funding will go towards the design, permitting, NEPA review, community benefits activities, construction, and operation of an LSC facility. As needed, funding may also go towards developing or creating access to clean energy and carbon transportation, storage, and/or utilization facilities and resources. TA-3 applicants will be expected to be ready for pre- construction project development if a FEED study already exists.

Otherwise, projects may seek funding for a FEED study as an initial phase. Each LSC facility is expected to target a nominal gross capture capacity of at least 25,000 TPA. The facility can reach a total capacity greater than 25,000 TPA in one or more build stages, as long as no stage is less than 25,000 TPA.

Applicants will also need to propose a plan for subsequent deployments of the technology, at this location or elsewhere, of at least 10x the proposed facility’s total capacity. LSC projects are expected to demonstrate the scale-up of a DAC technology already deployed commercially (e.g., generating revenue) at smaller scale.

Projects may propose a variety of carbon offtake applications, including permanent geologic storage and utilization in short-lived or long-lived products. Projects that envision the majority of their captured CO 2 will be vented (“catch-and-release”) will not be considered. Robust life cycle assessment (LCA) and measurement, reporting, and verification (MRV) will be required.

To be considered for TA-3, the applicant must submit the following reference facility data 15 : 1) six months of operational data from a smaller commercial facility, 2) not less than TRL 7 with validation of all core processes handling capture, regeneration, and energy integration, 3) not less than 1/25 th the nominal gross capture capacity of the proposed LSC facility (e.g., a minimum of 1,000 TPA for a proposed 25,000 TPA facility).

Additionally, DOE will assess risk and readiness by examining any proposed changes to the components, design, materials, integration, or scale of the individual unit operations responsible for core capture, regeneration, and energy integration steps. DOE expects that a TA-3 project will propose no changes or relatively few and/or independently validated changes to these elements.

Applicants to all topic areas will be required to submit Community Benefits Plans. # Potential Areas of Additional Future Support OCED intends to use a portion of remaining funds from the provision’s $3. 5 billion to support current and future awardees in addressing key barriers or major industry challenges that fall outside the original award scope and budget.

OCED is considering a variety of mechanisms and approaches to provide revenue support and assist awardees in securing project financing. This is a Notice of Intent only. OCED may issue a NOFO as described herein, may issue a NOFO that is significantly > different than the NOFO described herein, or may not issue a NOFO at all.

DOE intends to release a Request for Information early in the fourth quarter of 2024 to identify key opportunities, optimal mechanisms and timelines, and other topics related to these funds. # Implementation Approach OCED anticipates recurring (e.g., annual) openings for some or all of the three topic areas until available funds are fully committed.

The NOFO will include more details on the expected frequency of re-openings and other related solicitations. The NOFO will also indicate which topic areas may be awarded as cooperative agreements, and which may be awarded through other transaction agreements.

Any projects awarded through other transaction agreements may follow a customized project phasing structure, while those awarded as cooperative agreements would follow a phased structure similar to that shown in the following image.

To facilitate long term project planning, such as securing potential strategic partners or commercial third-party financing, DOE envisions that the NOFO will solicit applications that cover all four phases of the project. While only phase 1 or phase 2 of selected projects will be funded initially, additional funding for subsequent phases will be released based on successful completion of Go/No-Go decisions.

DOE will review and evaluate progress and deliverables against expected milestones. Projects may be discontinued during or at the end of any phase at the sole discretion of DOE if the Go/No-Go criteria, project, or program requirements, which may include community benefits activities, are not met.

More details on activities and deliverables likely expected to be completed in each phase will be provided in the NOFO or during pre-award and pre-phase negotiations.

Phase lengths may be adjusted or consolidated based on the readiness and status of the proposed project and If funded through all four phases, DOE envisions that the demonstrations will prove technical viability under the NOFO and demonstrate a plan for commercial viability.

Though DOE’s goal will be to support projects that will maintain operation after the period of performance, TA-2 projects may include disposition and decommissioning plans as part of future scale-up efforts. DOE intends to explore a variety of ways to optimize the impact of TA-2 and TA-3 award funding between the construction and operation phases.

For example, awardees may be offered a choice between maximizing the funding available for construction or allocating that funding to vehicles or mechanisms that provide revenue support during the operational phase. This is a Notice of Intent only. OCED may issue a NOFO as described herein, may issue a NOFO that is significantly > different than the NOFO described herein, or may not issue a NOFO at all.

Achieving OCED’s and DOE’s overall goals will necessitate review and evaluation of proposed project characteristics that include cost, schedule, scope, technology, business, market, financial, management, community support, environmental and social risk and other factors.

Each subsequent phase will be structured to ensure that each project meets a standard level of maturity, employs a robust execution approach, delivers meaningful community benefits while minimizing negative impacts, and that technical and non-technical project risk is adequately and appropriately managed throughout DOE’s engagement.

DOE’s decision whether and how to authorize the expenditure of federal funds requires compliance with NEPA. Submission and Registration Requirements for Full Applications OCED envisions awarding multiple financial assistance awards in the form of cooperative agreements or other transaction agreements. The NOFO will be released in the fourth quarter of 2024 and may require concept papers and/or pre-applications.

OCED expects to require concept papers for TA-3 and TA-2, and pre-applications for TA-1. If OCED requires concept papers, OCED would issue encourage or discourage notifications to applicants based upon the concept papers and applicants would be required to submit an eligible concept paper to be eligible to submit a full application, which will be requested following the concept paper notifications.

If OCED requires pre-applications, only those accepted proposals would be allowed to submit a full application. OCED intends to publish the names and contact details for all selected pre-applications for TA-1: Infrastructure Scaling Platforms, to facilitate teaming between TA-1 applicants and DAC developers (e.g., TA-2, TA-3, FOA-1, or privately funded projects) during the application development phase.

Projects that could potentially impact federally recognized Indian Tribes and Alaska Native Corporations will be required to make the potentially impacted Tribes aware of their application, and the nature of the impacts. Any project being proposed for siting on Tribal land will be required to submit a letter of support from Tribal leadership or a Tribal Council Resolution of support.

Obtaining these documents can take time and DOE encourages prospective applicants to reach out early to potentially impacted Indian Tribes. To achieve its mission, OCED requires projects to engage deeply with impacted communities; invest in quality jobs and workforce development; and advance equitable and just processes and outcomes. OCED recognizes the value of early, frequent, and meaningful two-way engagement.

Project planning should include engagement with a wide range of local entities such as labor unions, local governments, community and technical colleges, Tribal governments, and community-based organizations that support or work with disadvantaged communities that are marginalized by underinvestment and overburdened with pollution.

Proactive engagement with these entities can lead to stronger project plans, increased transparency, and the reduction or elimination of certain associated risks. Projects are especially encouraged to consider opportunities to engage energy communities and workers affected by the energy transition and to hire local workers. OCED intends to announce selections in mid-2025.

This Notice is issued so that interested parties are aware of OCED’s intention to issue this NOFO in the near term. All the information contained in this Notice is subject to change. OCED will not accept questions at this time regarding issuance of the potential NOFO.

Details on how to submit questions and comments will be provided in the NOFO, when issued. This is a Notice of Intent only. OCED may issue a NOFO as described herein, may issue a NOFO that is significantly > different than the NOFO described herein, or may not issue a NOFO at all.

OCED plans to issue the NOFO via the OCED eXCHANGE website https://oced- eXCHANGE. energy. gov/ .

If applicants wish to receive official notifications and information from OCED regarding this NOFO, they should register in OCED eXCHANGE. When the NOFO is released, applications will be accepted only through OCED eXCHANGE.

In anticipation of the NOFO being released, applicants are advised to complete the following steps, which are required for application submission:  Register and create an account in OCED eXCHANGE at https://oced- eXCHANGE. energy. gov .

This account will allow the user to apply to any open OCED NOFOs that are currently in OCED eXCHANGE.

Please note that potential applicants must create an account in OCED eXCHANGE even if the organization has already registered for whether acting as a team or a single entity, use only one account as the contact point for Questions related to the registration process and use of the OCED Exchange website should be submitted to: OCED-ExchangeSupport@hq. doe. gov  Register with the System for Award Management (SAM) at https://www.

sam. gov. Designating an Electronic Business Point of Contact (EBiz POC) and obtaining a special password called a Marketing Partner Identification Number (MPIN) are important steps in SAM registration. Please update your SAM registration annually.

Upon registration,