Clean Hydrogen Production, Storage, Transport and Utilization to Enable a Net Zero Carbon Economy | DE FOA 0002663

Opportunity Information: Apply for DE FOA 0002663

The Department of Energy, through the National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL), posted a discretionary grant opportunity titled "Clean Hydrogen Production, Storage, Transport and Utilization to Enable a Net Zero Carbon Economy" (Funding Opportunity Number DE-FOA-0002663). The focus of the opportunity, as reflected in the title, is to support research, development, and demonstration activities that help make hydrogen a practical, lower-carbon energy carrier across the full value chain: producing hydrogen cleanly, storing it effectively, moving it where it is needed, and using it in ways that meaningfully reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The overall intent is to accelerate hydrogen pathways and enabling technologies that contribute to a net-zero carbon economy, meaning hydrogen solutions that either substantially cut emissions compared to conventional options or can be integrated into systems designed to achieve deep decarbonization.

This posting is specifically described as a "Notice of Intent to Amend" a previously released funding opportunity announcement, and it also notes that the opportunity was previously titled "Fossil Energy Based Production, Storage, Transport and Utilization of Hydrogen Approaching Net-Zero or Net-Negative Carbon Emissions." In other words, the program framing has been presented as supporting hydrogen approaches that may include fossil-energy-related pathways, but only in conjunction with measures that drive emissions down toward net-zero or even net-negative outcomes (for example, through carbon capture, utilization, and storage strategies or other carbon management approaches). The notice further states that Amendment 000001 to DE-FOA-0002663 is being issued solely to correct an internal systems issue. That wording is important because it implies the amendment is administrative in nature rather than a substantive change to technical scope, eligibility rules, or evaluation criteria, although applicants typically still need to review the amended documents carefully to confirm no practical submission or formatting requirements changed.

The funding instrument listed is a Cooperative Agreement, which usually indicates substantial federal involvement during the performance of the project compared with a standard grant. In practice, cooperative agreements often come with more active collaboration, oversight, and coordination with DOE/NETL during project execution, such as negotiated milestones, technical reviews, and ongoing engagement to steer work toward program goals. The activity category is Energy, and the assistance listing is shown under CFDA 81.089, tying it to DOE financial assistance programs.

Eligibility is listed as "Unrestricted (i.e., open to any type of entity above), subject to any clarification" in the official eligibility text. This generally means a wide range of applicants may be able to apply, including private companies, universities, national laboratories, state and local governments, nonprofits, and other organizations, provided they meet any conditions laid out in the full announcement. The source data included with the posting lists an AwardCeiling value of "2" and "ExpectedAwards: 0"; as written, those fields are ambiguous in isolation (for example, "2" could be a placeholder, a truncated value, or an internal entry rather than a clear dollar ceiling), and "0 expected awards" often reflects an administrative or data-entry artifact rather than a literal statement that no awards will be made. The most reliable way to interpret funding amounts, number of awards, cost share requirements, and topic areas would be the full FOA package and any amendments, since summary fields in listings can sometimes be incomplete.

Key dates in the listing show a creation date of December 16, 2021, and an original closing date of January 31, 2022. That indicates the opportunity was part of a time-bound competitive solicitation with a defined submission deadline, and the notice of intent to amend suggests some update occurred after initial posting, though again described as an internal systems correction. Anyone assessing this opportunity for current applicability should verify whether the FOA is closed, whether later amendments extended deadlines, or whether the program has been superseded by newer hydrogen-related DOE solicitations.

In plain terms, this opportunity sits within DOE efforts to push hydrogen technologies that can scale while cutting carbon emissions, not just in production but also in the enabling infrastructure (storage and transport) and end uses (utilization). Hydrogen can be used in industrial processes, power generation, and potentially transportation, and each segment brings technical challenges such as cost, efficiency, safety, durability of materials, leakage management, and integration with carbon management. The program title signals an intent to fund solutions that help overcome those barriers so hydrogen can play a meaningful role in reaching net-zero emissions targets, with NETL serving as the administering office and a cooperative agreement structure guiding how projects would be managed if selected.

• The Department of Energy, National Energy Technology Laboratory in the energy sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Clean Hydrogen Production, Storage, Transport and Utilization to Enable a Net Zero Carbon Economy" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 81.089.
• This funding opportunity was created on Dec 16, 2021.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Jan 31, 2022. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $2.00 in funding.
• Eligible applicants include: Unrestricted (i.e., open to any type of entity above), subject to any clarification in text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility.

Apply for DE FOA 0002663

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