US to invest in critical minerals

The US Department of Energy has announced that it will provide around $1 billion in funding to advance and expand technologies for mining, processing and manufacturing across all key stages of the supply chain for critical minerals and materials.

Among other things, up to $500 million will be allocated to a funding programme for the processing of battery materials and the manufacture and recycling of batteries. The funds will be split along several different directions:

The Advanced Materials and Manufacturing Technologies Office plans to release a NOFO (Notices Of Funding Opportunities) worth up to $50 million in the autumn through the Critical Minerals and Materials Accelerator programme. The programme will then promote technology maturation to unlock capital investments and facilitate domestic commercialisation, according to the office.

The Office of Manufacturing and Energy Supply Chains (MESC) is announcing its intent to issue a NOFO of up to $135 million to enhance domestic supply chains for rare earth elements. The goal of this initiative is to reduce America’s dependence on foreign sources of REEs by demonstrating the commercial viability of methods for domestically refining and recovering REEs from mine tailings, deleterious material, and waste streams

Finally, the MESC is announcing its intent to issue a NOFO of up to $500 million to expand U.S. critical mineral and materials processing and derivative battery manufacturing and recycling.

“For too long, the United States has relied on foreign actors to supply and process the critical materials that are essential to modern life and our national security,” stated U.S. Secretary of Energy Chris Wright.

energy.gov