Opportunity Information: Apply for DE FOA 0003606
The National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) is offering a discretionary funding opportunity called "Improving Efficiency, Reliability, and Flexibility of Coal-Based Power Plants" (Funding Opportunity Number DE FOA 0003606). The program is structured as a cooperative agreement, meaning awardees should expect substantial federal involvement during the project, such as technical coordination, milestone reviews, and active collaboration to help guide project execution and outcomes.
The core aim of the NOFO is to fund projects that design, implement, test, and validate strategic refurbishment and retrofit approaches for existing coal-fired power plants. The opportunity is framed around three distinct topic areas (not listed in the provided text), with the overall intent of demonstrating compelling, practical pathways to upgrade the current coal fleet. The emphasis is not on basic research in isolation, but on work that can be proven out through real-world implementation and validation, helping move upgrades from concept to deployable solutions.
A major motivation behind the funding is grid reliability and resilience. NETL highlights the need for a rapid and cost-effective restoration of stability to the nations bulk power system, suggesting a focus on near-term, scalable improvements that can be applied across operating plants rather than long-horizon concepts that require entirely new infrastructure. In addition to grid stability, the NOFO explicitly connects these coal-plant upgrades to broader industrial and energy security priorities, positioning existing coal-based assets as part of a strategy to maintain dependable, secure, and affordable electricity supply, delivered at scale in the near term.
The technical and performance goals go beyond reliability alone. Successful projects are expected to lead to "transformational technologies" that materially improve efficiency, operational effectiveness, cost performance, emissions reductions, and overall environmental performance. While the title centers on coal-based power plants, the description also references improvements related to coal and natural gas use, implying interest in technologies or retrofit approaches that can enhance performance across fossil-based generation assets or that can support hybrid or flexible operation where natural gas plays a role in the operating profile.
In terms of eligibility and competitiveness, applicants are listed as "unrestricted," which generally means the opportunity is open to a broad range of potential participants rather than being limited to a narrow applicant class. This typically includes private companies, utilities, equipment manufacturers, engineering firms, universities, national laboratory partners, and other entities capable of carrying out demonstration-oriented energy projects, often through project teams that combine plant owners/operators with technology providers and engineering expertise.
Funding is substantial, with an award ceiling of $48,000,000 per award and an expected total of 15 awards. The original application closing date is January 7, 2026. The program is categorized under Energy and is associated with CFDA number 81.089, which is commonly used for U.S. Department of Energy financial assistance programs.
In practical terms, this NOFO is best read as a modernization and performance-upgrade push for the existing coal fleet: projects should be able to show credible retrofit pathways, prove performance through testing and validation, and demonstrate improvements that matter to plant operators and grid planners, especially improvements that can be deployed relatively quickly and that strengthen reliability while lowering costs and reducing emissions and environmental impacts.Apply for DE FOA 0003606
- The National Energy Technology Laboratory in the energy sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Improving Efficiency, Reliability, and Flexibility of Coal-Based Power Plants" 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 2025-10-31.
- Applicants must submit their applications by 2026-01-07. (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 $48,000,000.00 in funding.
- The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 15 candidate(s).
- Eligible applicants include: Unrestricted.
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