[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 245 (Thursday, December 22, 2022)]
[Notices]
[Pages 78667-78668]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2022-27838]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY


Notice of Intent Regarding Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) 
Support for Clean Hydrogen Electrolysis, Manufacturing, and Recycling

AGENCY: Office Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, Department of 
Energy.

ACTION: Notice of intent.

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SUMMARY: The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announces the

[[Page 78668]]

publication of a Notice of Intent (NOI) to issue a Funding Opportunity 
Announcement (FOA) entitled ``Bipartisan Infrastructure Law: Clean 
Hydrogen Electrolysis, Manufacturing, and Recycling,'' in accordance 
with the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act also known as the 
Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL). The anticipated FOA will support 
the broader government-wide approach to accelerate progress in clean 
hydrogen technologies and maximize the benefits of the clean energy 
transition as the nation works to curb the climate crisis, empower 
workers, and advance environmental justice.

DATES: The NOI was issued on December 16, 2022.

ADDRESSES: The NOI was issued via the EERE Exchange \1\ system 
available at https://eere-exchange.energy.gov/(see NOI DE-FOA-0002921).
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    \1\ The DOE Office of Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy 
(EERE) issues funding opportunities and related announcements 
through the EERE Funding Opportunity Exchange system.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Questions may be addressed to 
_____________________________________-
[email protected] or to Shawna McQueen at (202) 586-8033.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Clean hydrogen technologies, particularly 
for hard-to-decarbonize sectors of the economy, will directly support 
Biden administration goals to put the United States on a path to 
achieve net-zero emissions economy-wide by no later than 2050 to 
benefit all Americans.\2\ Section 40314 of the BIL \3\ authorizes DOE 
appropriations of $1.5 billion over five years ($300 million per year 
for Fiscal Years 2022 to 2026) to support clean hydrogen manufacturing, 
recycling, and electrolysis. Specifically, Section 40314 amends Title 
VIII of the Energy Policy Act of 2005 to include a new ``Section 815--
Clean Hydrogen Manufacturing and Recycling'' ($500 million) and a new 
``Section 816--Clean Hydrogen Electrolysis Program'' ($1 billion). DOE 
intends to issue the ``Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL): Clean 
Hydrogen Electrolysis, Manufacturing, and Recycling FOA'' to address 
these provisions of the BIL and to support the Hydrogen Energy 
Earthshot,\4\ a DOE initiative to reduce the cost of clean hydrogen by 
80 percent to $1 per 1 kilogram in 1 decade (``1 1 1''). The 
anticipated FOA will catalyze both innovation and manufacturing at 
scale, stimulating private sector investments, spurring development 
across the hydrogen supply chain, and dramatically reducing the cost of 
clean hydrogen. Efforts will also address support robust supply chains 
including for any needed critical materials and design for 
environmental and climate stewardship, efficiency, durability, and 
recyclability to ensure a strategic and sustainable build out of the 
clean hydrogen industry.
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    \2\ U.S. Department of State and the Executive Office of the 
President, The Long-Term Strategy of the United States: Pathways to 
Net-Zero Greenhouse Gas Emissions by 2050, November 2021, https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/US-Long-Term-Strategy.pdf.
    \3\ Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, Public Law 117-58 
(November 15, 2021), Section 40314, (42 U.S.C. 16161c), https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-bill/3684. This NOI uses 
the more common name ``Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL).''
    \4\ U.S. Department of Energy Hydrogen Program, ``Hydrogen 
Shot,'' U.S. Department of Energy, Washington, DC, 2021. https://www.energy.gov/eere/fuelcells/hydrogen-shot.
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    Specifically, the FOA will support the following objectives:
     Reduce the cost of clean hydrogen produced from 
electrolyzers to less than $2 per kilogram by 2026 \5\
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    \5\ See 42 U.S.C. 16161d(c)(1).
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     Advance new manufacturing technologies and techniques for 
clean hydrogen production and use equipment, specifically for 
electrolyzer and fuel cell technologies, and
     Research, develop, and demonstrate innovative and 
practical approaches to increase the reuse and recycling of clean 
hydrogen technologies.
    It is anticipated that the FOA will include the following technical 
topics:

Area of Interest 1: Clean Hydrogen Electrolysis Program

 Topic Area 1: Low Cost, High Throughput Electrolyzer 
Manufacturing
 Topic Area 2: Electrolyzer Component and Supply Chain RD&D
 Topic Area 3: Advanced Electrolyzer Technology and Component 
Development

Area of Interest 2: Clean Hydrogen Manufacturing and Recycling

 Topic Area 4: Fuel Cell Membrane Electrode Assembly and Stack 
Manufacturing and Automation
 Topic Area 5: Fuel Cell Component and Supply Chain Development
 Topic Area 6: Recovery and Recycling Consortium

    More information on the anticipated technical topics, including 
anticipated funding levels, can be found in the NOI. The NOI [DE-FOA-
0002921] is available at https://eere-exchange.energy.gov/.
    Signing Authority: This document of the Department of Energy was 
signed on December 14, 2022 by Francisco Alejandro Moreno, Acting 
Assistant Secretary for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, 
pursuant to delegated authority from the Secretary of Energy. That 
document with the original signature and date is maintained by DOE. For 
administrative purposes only, and in compliance with requirements of 
the Office of the Federal Register, the undersigned DOE Federal 
Register Liaison Officer has been authorized to sign and submit the 
document in electronic format for publication, as an official document 
of the Department of Energy. This administrative process in no way 
alters the legal effect of this document upon publication in the 
Federal Register.

    Signed in Washington, DC, on December 19, 2022.
Treena V. Garrett,
Federal Register Liaison Officer, U.S. Department of Energy.
[FR Doc. 2022-27838 Filed 12-21-22; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6450-01-P