Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) - 2022 Regional Clean Hydrogen Hubs Implementation Strategy RFI | DE FOA 0002664

Opportunity Information: Apply for DE FOA 0002664

The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) - 2022 Regional Clean Hydrogen Hubs Implementation Strategy RFI (DE-FOA-0002664) is a Request for Information issued by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to gather public input before DOE releases a formal Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) for regional clean hydrogen hubs. In other words, this is not a grant application and it does not make awards by itself. It is a planning step DOE uses to shape the rules, evaluation approach, and overall structure of the future competitive funding program required by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, commonly called the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.

The RFI is led by DOE's Hydrogen Program and reflects a cross-office effort involving the Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technologies Office (HFTO) within Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), the Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management (FECM), and the Office of Nuclear Energy (NE), in collaboration with DOE's then-new Office of Clean Energy Demonstrations (OCED). That mix of offices signals that DOE was looking at clean hydrogen hubs as a broad energy system initiative, potentially involving multiple production pathways and infrastructure elements rather than a single technology track.

DOE states that it is seeking input in four main areas. First, it requests feedback on the regional clean hydrogen hub provisions and requirements, meaning how DOE should interpret and translate the law's hub-related directions into practical program requirements. Second, DOE asks for comments on the solicitation process, the FOA structure, and the implementation strategy, which typically includes topics like how applications should be organized, what kinds of project phases or milestones make sense, how partnerships might be evaluated, and how DOE can structure selection to support timely execution. Third, the RFI emphasizes Equity, Environmental and Energy Justice (EEEJ) priorities, indicating that DOE wanted early input on how equity and justice goals should be embedded in hub design, community benefits, and program accountability. Fourth, DOE seeks perspectives on market adoption and long-term sustainability, focusing on how hubs can create durable hydrogen supply and demand, reduce risk for offtakers, and remain viable beyond the period of federal support.

A key point in the notice is how DOE intends to use the information: responses are for internal planning purposes only, DOE will not publish the information collected, and DOE will not respond to individual submissions or issue a public compilation of responses. Submitting a response also does not create any binding commitment; it will not be treated as a promise to develop a project, form a consortium, or apply later. The practical takeaway is that organizations could provide candid feedback on program design without that feedback being treated as an application or obligation.

Eligibility for responding is effectively open: the listing describes eligible applicants as unrestricted, meaning any type of entity could provide input (subject to any further clarification in the full RFI text). The opportunity is categorized under discretionary funding and the energy activity category, but because it is an RFI, there are no expected awards listed (ExpectedAwards: 0) and typical award metrics like ceiling amounts are not meaningful in the way they would be for an actual grant competition.

The notice provides detailed submission instructions, which matter because DOE often screens RFI submissions for basic compliance. Responses had to be submitted electronically by 5:00 pm Eastern Time on March 8, 2022, via email to H2Hubs@ee.doe.gov with the subject line "H2Hubs RFI response." DOE required responses to be attached to the email rather than written in the email body, and recommended compressing files larger than 25MB to avoid delivery issues. The format had to be Microsoft Word (.docx) or Adobe PDF (.pdf), limited to 15 pages, using 12-point font and 1-inch margins, and only electronic submissions were accepted. To streamline review, DOE asked respondents to copy and paste the RFI questions (including numbering) into their response and answer as many or as few questions as they wished, which is a common technique to make it easier for agencies to categorize and compare feedback.

DOE also requested that each submission begin with basic contact details: the company or institution name, the primary contact, and the contact's address, phone number, and email address. The full RFI text was made available through EERE Exchange (https://eere-exchange.energy.gov), and the agency listed for the opportunity is the Department of Energy, Golden Field Office, with a creation date of February 15, 2022.

Overall, this RFI functioned as an early shaping exercise for DOE's forthcoming clean hydrogen hub funding program under BIL, inviting stakeholders across industry, academia, nonprofits, communities, and government to weigh in on how DOE should define hub requirements, structure the competition, integrate equity and environmental justice considerations, and ensure the resulting hubs can achieve real market traction and remain sustainable over time.

• The Department of Energy, Golden Field Office in the energy sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) - 2022 Regional Clean Hydrogen Hubs Implementation Strategy RFI" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 81.087.
• This funding opportunity was created on Feb 15, 2022.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Mar 08, 2022 500pm ET. (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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