[Federal Register Volume 65, Number 4 (Thursday, January 6, 2000)]
[Notices]
[Pages 762-763]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 00-289]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY


Notice Inviting Financial Assistance Applications

AGENCY: U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), National Energy Technology Lab 
(NETL).

ACTION: Notice Inviting Financial Assistance Applications.

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SUMMARY: The Department of Energy announces that it intends to conduct 
a competitive Program Solicitation and award financial assistance 
(cooperative agreements) for the program entitled ``Development and 
Demonstration of Black Liquor/Biomass Gasification in the Forest 
Products Industry.'' Through this solicitation, NETL seeks to support 
applications to improve the processing of Black Liquor and Biomass from 
the forest industry using Gasification Systems. Applications will be 
subjected to a review by a DOE technical panel, and awards will be made 
to a limited number of applicants based on a scientific and engineering 
evaluation of the responses received to determine the relative merit of 
the approach taken in response to this offering by the DOE, and funding 
availability.

FOR FURTHER SOLICITATION INFORMATION CONTACT: William Mundorf, U.S. 
Department of Energy, National Energy Technology Laboratory, 
Acquisition and Assistance Division, PO Box 10940, MS 921-143, 
Pittsburgh PA 15236-0940, Telephone: (412) 386-4483, FAX: (412) 386-
6137, E-mail: [email protected]. The solicitation (available in both 
WordPerfect 6.1 and Portable Document Format (PDF)) will be released on 
DOE's NETL World Wide Web Server Internet System (http://
www.NETL.doe.gov/business/solicit) on or about January 3, 2000.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
    Title of Solicitation: ``Development and Demonstration of Black 
Liquor/Biomass Gasification in the Forest Products Industry.''
    Objectives: Through Program Solicitation No. DE-PS26-00FT40772, the 
U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) seeks applications for cost-shared 
demonstration of technologies which will enhance economic 
competitiveness, improve energy efficiency, and reduce environmental 
impacts while providing quality products within the forest products 
industry. The focus of the research will address research priorities 
identified by the forest products industry in the Agenda 2020 The Path 
Forward: An Implementation Plan. Approximately $14,000,000 fiscal year 
2000 (FY 2000) federal funds are expected to be available to support 
the first year of a multi-year effort. DOE is looking for a path 
forward to demonstrate cost-effective, energy efficient, gasification 
technologies for integrated gasification combined cycle or 
gasification/cogeneration applications. Competitive development of 
combined cycle, gasification technologies (for both black liquor and 
biomass feedstocks) are well underway. However, large-scale pilot plant 
or demonstrations are needed to promote widespread adoption of advanced 
gasification technologies in the Forest Products industry. DOE 
anticipates awarding multiple cooperative agreements. Projects will be 
limited to eight years or less, but it is expected that successful 
demonstrations will be achieved in as early as three years. Proposals 
for projects which will both develop and demonstrate existing 
technologies will require a minimum 50% cost share of the total 
estimated project cost.
    Eligibility: Eligibility for participation in this Program 
Solicitation is considered to be full and open. All interested parties 
may apply. The solicitation will contain a complete description of the 
technical evaluation factors and relative importance of each factor.
    Program Technology Definition: The Department is interested in 
obtaining applications to improve the processing of Black Liquor and 
Biomass from forest products using gasification systems:
    (A) Black Liquor Gasification Systems: Kraft black liquor and semi-
chem caustic-carbonate liquor are mixtures of dissolved organic 
components resulting from the

[[Page 763]]

processing of wood, inorganic cooking chemicals, and water. Though 
concentrated by multiple effects evaporators, these liquor still 
contain a high percentage of water and have sufficient heating value to 
be considered low quality fuels. The technical topic is for safe, 
integrated gasification systems which can permit the separation and 
recovery of the inorganic cooking chemicals while concurrently 
producing a combustible product gas from the organics. This product gas 
after cleaning must be a viable low-to-medium caloric value fuel. Key 
technical gaps that require demonstration include: materials of 
construction with known life expectancy, gas clean-up and demonstration 
of integrating gasification, power cycle and pulp mill systems. For 
systems employing cold gas clean-up, the key gaps are physical scale-up 
of the gasification processes under development and commercial 
demonstration. For systems with hot gas clean up, the clean-up system 
itself must be added as a serious technology gap; and
    (B) Forest Products Biomass Gasification Systems: Wood room waste 
or hog fuel is conventionally burned in specifically designed boilers 
so as to capture a portion of the valuable energy sources found in 
Forest Products mills. They suffer from low power-to-steam output ratio 
and high capital and maintenance costs. The technical topic is for 
gasification systems which can utilize these fuels being mostly half 
water by weight and to produce a higher quality fuel gas. Such systems 
are required to be able to be integrated with gas turbines and steam 
turbines for electric power generation. These biomass gasification 
combined cycle systems must be able to offer a positive contribution to 
the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. For systems using low-
temperature gasification, destruction/removal of tars and other 
condensible organic compound clean-up, physical scale-up, and 
commercial demonstration of the integrated gasification combined cycle 
systems is an issue and must be proven on a pilot scale.
    Awards: DOE anticipates issuing financial assistance (cooperative 
agreements) for each project selected. DOE reserves the right to 
support or not support, with or without discussions, any or all 
applications received in whole or in part, and to determine how many 
awards may be made through the solicitation subject to funds available. 
Approximately $100 million of DOE funding is planned for this 
solicitation through the course of the program. The estimated funding 
by the DOE is planned to be shared between three to four project 
awards. A 50% cost share of the total estimated project costs by the 
applicant is required, and details of the cost sharing requirement are 
contained in the solicitation.
    Solicitation Release Date: The Program Solicitation is expected to 
be ready for release on or about January 3, 2000. Applications must be 
prepared and submitted in accordance with the instructions and forms 
contained in the Program Solicitation. Two open periods will be used to 
receive qualifying proposals. Initial proposals will be evaluated and 
selections made within six months of submittal. The proposal due date 
for the first evaluation period is February 29, 2000 and June 1, 2000 
for the second and final.
Raymond D. Johnson,
Contracting Officer, Acquisition and Assistance Division.
[FR Doc. 00-289 Filed 1-5-00; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6450-01-P