Opportunity Information: Apply for DE FOA 0002180
The Department of Energy (DOE), through the National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL), released a draft Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) titled "Design Development and System Integration Design Studies for Coal FIRST Concepts" (Funding Opportunity Number: DE-FOA-0002180). This opportunity is set up as a discretionary research and development program and would be funded through cooperative agreements, meaning DOE expects to be substantially involved during project execution rather than acting only as a pass-through funder. The FOA was issued on May 18, 2020, with a closing date of August 18, 2020, and it references CFDA 81.089. Although the FOA is presented as a draft notice, DOE explicitly invited public comments and questions up to June 5, 2020, with submission instructions provided in the FOA's Section VII.
At a high level, the FOA is aimed at moving Coal FIRST power plant concepts closer to real-world deployment by funding design maturity work and integrated engineering studies. Coal FIRST refers to advanced coal-based power systems that are intended to be more flexible and responsive to grid needs, while also improving performance and reducing environmental impacts compared with traditional coal plants. Rather than funding basic science, this FOA focuses on design development and front-end planning work that can support future investment and implementation decisions.
Funded projects are expected to complete four major tasks for a selected Coal FIRST plant concept. First is design development, which typically means advancing the technical design, narrowing key equipment selections, refining process assumptions, and improving the overall readiness of the chosen concept. Second is a host site evaluation paired with an Environmental Information Volume (EIV). This component is meant to examine where the plant could realistically be sited (or retrofitted) and to compile environmental and siting-related information that would inform permitting and stakeholder review. Third is an investment case analysis, which generally involves assessing project economics, financing considerations, risk factors, and the overall business case for building the plant. Fourth is a system integration design study described as a front-end engineering design (FEED) study, which is intended to pull the design into an integrated, engineering-driven package that accounts for how subsystems interact, how the plant would be built and operated, and what performance and cost outcomes are expected when the whole system is considered together.
Applicants are asked to propose projects tied to one of four Areas of Interest (AOIs), each representing a different Coal FIRST concept. AOI 1 is a Flexible Ultra Supercritical (USC) coal-fired power plant, emphasizing high-efficiency steam conditions and operational flexibility. AOI 2 is a Pressurized Fluidized Bed Combustor (PFBC) paired with a supercritical steam cycle, combining pressurized combustion with an advanced steam cycle to improve efficiency and emissions performance. AOI 3 is a hybrid concept that integrates a natural gas turbine with a USC coal boiler power plant, reflecting an approach that blends coal and gas technologies to improve operational flexibility and potentially optimize performance across different operating modes. AOI 4 focuses on flexible gasification of coal and biomass to generate electricity while also producing a carbon-free hydrogen co-product, positioning the plant as both a power generator and a hydrogen production facility.
DOE indicates that proposed projects may be based on either retrofit (brownfield) situations, where an existing site or facility is upgraded or repurposed, or greenfield applications, where the concept is designed for a new site. That flexibility is important because it allows teams to tailor proposals to realistic deployment pathways: retrofits can reduce siting and infrastructure hurdles, while greenfield projects can optimize the layout and integration without legacy constraints.
In terms of scale and competitiveness, the FOA lists an award ceiling of $81,000,000 and anticipates making around three awards. Eligibility is described as unrestricted, meaning the opportunity is broadly open to different entity types, subject to any additional eligibility clarifications that may be included in the FOA text. Overall, the opportunity is structured to produce detailed, investment-relevant, and integration-focused engineering outputs that could serve as the bridge between conceptual designs and future decisions to build or demonstrate Coal FIRST systems.Apply for DE FOA 0002180
- The Department of Energy, National Energy Technology Laboratory in the energy, environment, natural resources, science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Design Development and System Integration Design Studies for Coal FIRST Concepts" 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 May 18, 2020.
- Applicants must submit their applications by Aug 18, 2020. (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 $81,000,000.00 in funding.
- The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 3 candidate(s).
- 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.
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