Notice of Intent to Issue DE-FOA-0002400 | DE FOA 0002461

FAQs: DOE/NETL Notice of Intent (Hydrogen and Negative Carbon Emissions)

1) Is this an open grant application right now?

No. The document described is a notice of intent (a heads-up) from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), through the National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL). It explicitly states it is not an open solicitation and DOE was not accepting applications at the time of the notice.

2) Was DOE asking for public comments on this notice?

No. The notice states DOE was not requesting public comments.

3) What is the purpose of a notice of intent like this?

Based on the information provided, the purpose was to give advance information to potential applicants and stakeholders that DOE/NETL intended to release a future funding opportunity announcement (FOA) related to hydrogen. It functions as early signal and planning information rather than a call for proposals.

4) What was the planned title of the future FOA?

The planned FOA (if released) was titled: "Fossil Energy Based Production, Storage, Transport and Utilization of Hydrogen Toward Negative Carbon Emissions."

5) What technical areas would the future FOA have focused on?

The notice indicates a focus on technology development across the hydrogen value chain, specifically:

• Hydrogen production from fossil energy resources
• Hydrogen storage
• Hydrogen transport
• Hydrogen utilization (end uses)

All of these are framed around achieving deep emissions reductions and moving toward negative carbon emissions.

6) What does "toward negative carbon emissions" mean in the context of this notice?

As described, the goal is to pair fossil-based hydrogen pathways with decarbonization approaches so that the overall system drives emissions toward zero and ultimately net-negative outcomes, where carbon dioxide is removed from the atmosphere or otherwise offset beyond zero.

7) Why does the notice emphasize fossil-based hydrogen if the goal is decarbonization?

The notice frames the opportunity around making hydrogen produced from fossil energy resources compatible with aggressive climate goals by pairing those pathways with decarbonization approaches and innovations that enable deep emissions reductions and potentially net-negative results.

8) What types of projects were implied by the notice?

In practical terms, the notice signals interest in R&D and demonstration efforts that make fossil-derived hydrogen compatible with aggressive climate goals. This includes innovation in hydrogen production methods, as well as infrastructure and end-use technologies needed to move hydrogen at scale and use it in industrial, power, or commodity contexts while reducing emissions toward zero or below zero.

9) What strategic objective did DOE/NETL highlight?

The notice signals an objective to "reinvigorate" or repurpose the United States' large existing fossil-fuel and power infrastructure so it can support decarbonized energy and commodity production, rather than being stranded or phased out without replacement.

10) What agency and office were associated with the notice?

The issuing organization is the National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) under the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE).

11) What kind of funding was this categorized as?

The opportunity is categorized as discretionary funding, with the funding activity area listed as energy.

12) What CFDA number is associated with this opportunity?

The CFDA number provided is 81.089, which corresponds to DOE fossil energy-related assistance programs.

13) Who was eligible to apply?

Eligibility is listed as "unrestricted." Based on the information provided, that suggests the eventual FOA could have been open to a broad range of applicants (for example, companies, universities, nonprofits, and other organizations). However, the notice also makes clear that definitive eligibility rules would only be confirmed in the final FOA (if issued).

14) What funding instrument would have been used (grant, cooperative agreement, etc.)?

The funding instrument type is labeled "other" in the summary record. This indicates it may not have fit neatly into standard instrument labels in the summary posting, or that the final instrument would have been clarified later in an actual FOA.

15) Was there an application deadline?

The public record fields included an original closing date of January 31, 2021. However, because this was only a notice of intent and not an active solicitation, that date should be interpreted cautiously as a placeholder or planning marker rather than a real application deadline.

16) How many awards were expected?

The number of expected awards is not specified in the provided data.

17) What award amount or limit was shown?

The listing shows an "award ceiling" of 2 (as posted). The notice does not provide additional context in the information provided here, so the meaning and units of that value cannot be confirmed from this notice alone.

18) When was the notice created?

The notice was created on December 23, 2020.

19) Can the scope or details change before the FOA is issued?

Yes. The notice warns that all details could change before any actual FOA was issued.

20) What should an interested organization do if it wants to pursue this kind of funding?

Because this was not an open solicitation and the information could change, the notice indicates that interested parties would need to monitor DOE/NETL for the actual FOA release and then follow the definitive requirements, scope, funding levels, and submission instructions provided in that FOA.