The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has allocated $6 billion to fund 33 projects that are designed to decarbonize energy-intensive industries and reduce emissions, while at the same time helping to support union jobs, revitalize industrial communities, and strengthen the country’s manufacturing competitiveness. Financing for these projects, which are spread across more than 20 states, will come from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and Inflation Reduction Act. The projects will be part of the Industrial Demonstrations Program and managed by DOE’s Office of Clean Energy Demonstrations (OCED).
A main focus of this program will be on industries where decarbonization technologies will have the greatest impact. This includes metals, cement and concrete, chemicals, refining, and more. The DOE hopes these projects will help reduce the equivalent of more than 14 million metric tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions each year. This is the largest investment in industrial decarbonization in America to date.
In a recent quote, U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer M. Granholm said, “Spurring on the next generation of decarbonization technologies in key industries like steel, paper, concrete, and glass will keep America the most competitive nation on Earth. Thanks to President Biden’s industrial strategy, DOE is making the largest investment in industrial decarbonization in the history of the United States. These investments will slash emissions from these difficult-to-decarbonize sectors and ensure American businesses and American workers remain at the forefront of the global economy.”