DOE’s Office of Critical Minerals and Energy Innovation Launches Regional Consortia To Bolster Domestic Critical Minerals Supply Chain

WASHINGTON-The U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Office of Critical Minerals and Energy Innovation today announced $15 million for two projects that will establish regional consortia to accelerate the development of new critical minerals and materials supply chains from unconventional and secondary feedstocks.

"Building domestic supply chains for critical minerals and materials means realizing the value of unconventional feedstocks," said Assistant Secretary of Energy (EERE) Audrey Robertson. "Domestically abundant sources, such as coal, wastewater from oil and gas development, and acid mine drainage, can reinforce supply chains for American manufacturing and the production of essential technologies."

These two projects join six previous selectees and will build upon the ongoing work of DOE's Carbon Ore, Rare Earth, and Critical Minerals (CORE-CM) Initiative, scaling the focus from 13 basins in the continental United States to eight broader regions across the nation, including Hawaii, Alaska, and Puerto Rico.

DOE's National Energy Technology Laboratory will manage the following two selected projects:

• CORE-CM Region 7: Pacific Coast Basin and Range Critical Minerals Initiative (Reno, Nevada): Researchers at the University of Nevada, Reno, will investigate critical minerals resources within sedimentary formations and active mine waste in the Pacific Coast and Basin and Range regions. This project will involve assessing resources, collecting samples, and characterizing the critical minerals present. The project seeks to develop a comprehensive critical minerals database by compiling existing information and integrating new data gathered through field work. This database will be used in conjunction with regional infrastructure and industry insights to formulate strategic recommendations for future mining, processing, and environmental remediation efforts aimed at extracting critical minerals from these sources. Additionally, the initiative will promote awareness of critical minerals within regional communities through training programs and science and engineering outreach activities.
  
• Critical Minerals in Atlantic Seaboard Plain (Atlanta, Georgia): Researchers at Georgia Tech Research Corporation will examine valuable minerals within the Atlantic seaboard plain, with a focus on sedimentary minerals such as kaolin, bauxite, heavy minerals, and phosphate, as well as residues from mining and coal combustion. Samples from former industrial sites (known as brownfields) across the region will undergo a detailed analysis to identify their composition, mineral types, critical minerals forms, and rare earth element characteristics. The resulting data will be used in statistical analyses and machine learning to predict where these minerals occur and to develop efficient extraction methods. This project aims to build a regional innovation system for a domestic supply of critical minerals, fostering economic growth by utilizing existing infrastructure and available expert knowledge.

Selection for award negotiations is not a commitment by DOE to issue an award or provide funding. Before funding is issued, DOE and the applicant will undergo a negotiation process, and DOE may cancel negotiations and rescind the selection for any reason during that time. DOE award amounts are subject to change pending negotiations.