Notice of Intent to Issue Funding Opportunity Announcement No. DE-FOA-0002332 | DE FOA 0002331

Opportunity Information: Apply for DE FOA 0002331

Notice of Intent to Issue Funding Opportunity Announcement No. DE-FOA-0002332 is an informational notice published by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), specifically through the National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL). The notice signals DOE's plan to release a future Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) focused on "Energy Storage for Fossil Power Generation." It is not itself a solicitation for proposals, and DOE explicitly states that it is not requesting public comments on the contents of the notice. In practical terms, this notice functions as an early heads-up to potential applicants so they can begin tracking the forthcoming FOA and preparing for a competitive application process once the actual FOA is issued.

The planned FOA's central purpose is to competitively fund research and development (R&D) projects that both advance energy storage technologies and demonstrate or enable their integration with fossil-fueled power assets. The underlying idea is that pairing storage with fossil generation can help these plants operate in a more modern, grid-responsive way rather than purely as steady baseload units. DOE highlights a set of performance outcomes it wants storage integration to improve: flexibility (the ability to ramp up and down, follow load, and respond to variable conditions), reliability (more consistent delivery of power and support during disturbances), efficiency (better overall use of fuel and plant equipment), environmental performance (potential reductions in emissions and improved operational profiles), and resiliency (stronger performance under stress events, disruptions, or changing grid conditions). While the notice does not list specific technical pathways, it indicates that DOE is interested in storage solutions relevant to fossil power settings and the engineering and controls needed to integrate storage with those assets.

From an administrative standpoint, the opportunity is categorized as discretionary funding and is expected to be awarded through cooperative agreements. A cooperative agreement typically means the federal agency will have substantial involvement during the project period, which can include technical direction, milestones, and active program management, rather than a simple grant with minimal agency interaction. The funding activity category is listed as Energy and the CFDA number provided is 81.089, which is associated with DOE fossil energy research and development assistance programs. Eligibility is described as "unrestricted," meaning it is open to any type of applicant entity, subject to additional eligibility clarifications that would appear in the full FOA text once issued. That generally suggests broad potential participation, including private companies, universities, national laboratories, non-profits, and state or local entities, provided they meet any specific conditions later spelled out.

The notice includes basic timing and record information. It shows a creation date of March 31, 2020, and an original closing date of May 1, 2020, but the notice also makes clear that applications will not be accepted for the Notice of Intent itself. In other words, the "closing date" is tied to the administrative posting of the notice, not an application deadline for funding. The record also lists an award ceiling of 2, but it does not provide a clear unit or context (for example, whether that figure is in millions of dollars, a placeholder, or otherwise), and it lists expected awards as 0, which is consistent with this being only a notice rather than an active funding announcement. The key takeaway is that the actionable, application-ready details such as total funding available, number and size of awards, cost-share requirements, technical topic areas, performance metrics, and submission instructions would be provided later in the actual FOA (DE-FOA-0002332), not in this notice of intent.

Overall, this notice communicates DOE/NETL's intent to invest in R&D that helps fossil power plants operate more flexibly and cleanly by integrating energy storage. For organizations interested in grid modernization, hybrid plant configurations, or storage technology development with a focus on conventional generation assets, it is essentially an advance notification to watch for the forthcoming FOA where the real requirements and application process will be defined.

• The Department of Energy, National Energy Technology Laboratory in the energy sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Notice of Intent to Issue Funding Opportunity Announcement No. DE-FOA-0002332" 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 Mar 31, 2020.
• Applicants must submit their applications by May 01, 2020 This is a Notice of Intent to issue Funding Opportunity Announcement No. DE-FOA-0002332. Applications will not be accepted for the Notice of Intent.. (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 $2.00 in funding.
• 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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