Water Research and Development for Produced Water and Legacy Wastewaters Associated with Thermal Power Plants | DE FOA 0002795

Opportunity Information: Apply for DE FOA 0002795

The Department of Energy (DOE), through its National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL), issued a Request for Information (RFI) titled "Water Research and Development for Produced Water and Legacy Wastewaters Associated with Thermal Power Plants" (Funding Opportunity Number: DE FOA 0002795; CFDA: 81.089). The posting is listed under the Energy activity category and is marked as a discretionary opportunity, but it is important to read it for what it is: this is not a Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) and it is not accepting grant applications. The document is essentially a market and stakeholder input exercise intended to shape future DOE thinking, priorities, and potential project designs in the produced water and legacy wastewater space tied to thermal power generation.

A key detail in the notice is that Amendment 000001 does not change the substance of the original RFI. The amendment is described as an internal administrative change only, released primarily to enable or "trigger" the posting on Grants.gov. In other words, the amendment should not be interpreted as opening funding, changing requirements, or revising technical scope. It is administrative housekeeping to ensure the announcement appears properly in federal systems.

The core purpose of the RFI is to collect feedback from a wide range of stakeholders on potential projects, approaches, and technical directions related to produced water and legacy wastewaters associated with thermal power plants. DOE is explicitly inviting input not just from traditional technology developers and researchers, but also from investors, industry members, academia, national laboratories and other research labs, government agencies, communities that could be impacted by these activities, and other interested parties. The breadth of the audience signals that DOE is looking for both technical insights (what can work, what is scalable, what is cost-effective) and practical on-the-ground perspectives (what is acceptable to communities, what barriers exist, and what benefits or harms might result).

Another central theme is that responses should be framed with environmental justice and the energy transition in mind, with special attention to tribal and other impacted communities. This emphasis suggests DOE is seeking concepts that do more than treat water as a purely technical problem; it wants ideas that consider who bears environmental burdens, who receives benefits, how risks are managed, and how projects might fit into changing regional energy and industrial landscapes. For respondents, that typically means addressing issues like equitable siting and permitting, community engagement, transparency, long-term stewardship, and avoiding solutions that shift pollution or water risk onto already overburdened populations.

In terms of the content DOE is looking for, the RFI asks for information on "concepts, processes, configurations, and systems" relevant to produced water and legacy wastewater challenges linked to thermal power plants. While the notice excerpt does not list the full set of numbered questions, it makes clear DOE prefers that respondents address all numbered items from the RFI, but it will still accept and value partial responses that speak to only some of the questions. This is typical of RFIs: they are designed to lower the barrier to participation and encourage targeted, high-quality input even if a stakeholder only has expertise in one part of the problem (for example, treatment technologies, monitoring and sensors, brine management, beneficial reuse pathways, or community impacts).

Several administrative fields in the listing can be easily misread, so they are worth clarifying. The opportunity indicates an "Award Ceiling: 2" and "Expected Awards: 0." Because this is an RFI and not a funding solicitation, those numbers should not be interpreted as real funding commitments or anticipated awards. Similarly, eligibility is described as "Unrestricted," meaning DOE is open to hearing from essentially any type of entity, subject to any additional eligibility language in the full text. That again aligns with the intent of an RFI: DOE wants broad input rather than restricting participation to a narrow set of applicants.

Finally, timing and status are straightforward. The RFI was created on August 25, 2022, with an original closing date of October 14, 2022. The practical takeaway is that this posting was meant to gather stakeholder feedback within that window to inform DOE planning. Anyone looking for funding should treat this as an early signal of interest area and a chance to help shape what a future FOA might look like, rather than an opportunity to submit a proposal for financial support under this specific notice.

• The Department of Energy, National Energy Technology Laboratory in the energy sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Water Research and Development for Produced Water and Legacy Wastewaters Associated with Thermal Power Plants" 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 Aug 25, 2022.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Oct 14, 2022. (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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