DOE Announces $18.6 Million to Three National Lab-led Projects to Facilitate Stakeholder Collaboration and Accelerate Industrial Demonstrations

Washington, D.C. - The U.S. Department of Energy is launching three projects to receive $18.6 million under the Inflation Reduction Act Technology Commercialization Fund (IRA TCF) Collaborative Alignment for Critical Technology Industries – Industrial Decarbonization Lab Call. The projects will accelerate industrial demonstration efforts through enhanced stakeholder collaboration to address critical technology adoption risks. This program is run by the Office of Technology Transitions (OTT) and the Office of Clean Energy Demonstrations (OCED) with support from the Industrial Efficiency & Decarbonization Office (IEDO) and Office of Manufacturing and Energy Supply Chains (MESC). 

“By fostering partnership and collaboration across these vital industries, we’re ensuring that decarbonization strategies are both practical and scalable,” said Dr. Vanessa Z. Chan, DOE Chief Commercialization Office and Director of the Office of Technology Transitions. “These projects will help break down adoption barriers and industry together to come up with adoptable solutions to common roadblocks.” 

First announced in August 2024, this lab call aims to bring stakeholders together to address challenges that arise when entities work on similar industrial demonstration strategies in isolation. The projects will boost collaboration and align on best practices in three sectors: chemicals and refining, concrete and cement, and metals. The three selected projects bring 11 National Laboratories together to address unique challenges in these distinct sectors. 

Congratulations to the selected projects: 

• Decarbonization Alliance for the U.S. Chemical and Refining Industries (DACRI): Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) will create forums where participants in the supply and value chains of the U.S. chemicals and refining sectors can converge to address challenges hindering the adoption of decarbonization technologies. ORNL will work in collaboration with Idaho National Laboratory (INL), Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), Lawrence Berkely National Laboratory (LBNL), National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL), Sandia National Laboratories (SNL), Savanah River National Laboratory (SNRL), and industry partners. 
• Cement & Concrete Emissions Mitigation with Emerging and New Technologies (C2EMENT) Consortium: Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) will address adoption hurdles of low-carbon cement technology and materials including but not limited to measurement, reporting and verification of carbon sequestration, procurement models, and alternative feedstocks for low-carbon cement production. PNNL will work in collaboration with Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), LBNL, SNL, Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL), Argonne National Laboratory (ANL), NETL, LANL, and industry partners. 
• National Consortium for the Decarbonization of the Metals Industry: National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) will accelerate the adoption of low-carbon technologies in the metals industry by developing consensus standards, best practices, and decision-support tools, aligning efforts across industry and regulatory bodies.  NREL will work in collaboration with SNL, LBNL, and industry partners. 

The selected National Laboratories will work closely with industry partners to design and implement solutions that will support the commercialization of industrial technologies in hard-to-abate sectors and identify and begin to address related adoption hurdles. The $18.6 million in federal funding will catalyze more than $18.6 million in cost-share from private sector, academic, and other industry entities. 

About the Department of Energy Office of Technology Transitions  

The Office of Technology Transitions (OTT) plays a pivotal role in expanding the public impact of the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) research, development, demonstration, and deployment (RDD&D) portfolio. Founded in 2015, OTT aids in developing and overseeing the delivery of DOE's strategic vision and goals for technology commercialization and business and industrial sector engagement across the nation. Visit us at energy.gov/ott to learn more, and subscribe to receive our latest opportunities and accomplishments via email. Follow us on X and LinkedIn. 

About the Department of Energy Office of Clean Energy Demonstrations 

OCED's mission is to deliver clean energy demonstration projects at scale in partnership with the private sector to accelerate deployment, market adoption, and the equitable transition to a decarbonized energy system. OCED is a multi-technology office with demonstrations that include clean hydrogen, carbon management, industrial decarbonization, advanced nuclear reactors, long-duration energy storage, demonstration projects in rural or remote areas and on current and former mine land, and more. Visit energy.gov/oced to learn more. 

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