On October 14, 2026, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Alternative Fuels and Feedstocks Office (AFFO) announced its intent to award up to $60 million for chemicals, fertilizers, fuels, and feedstock technologies built on resources the United States already has: biomass, hydrogen, and existing refineries and pipelines. The notice of intent, DE-FOA-0003648, previews a funding opportunity AFFO expects to release in November 2026.
The money is aimed at pilot projects in three areas: depots that turn biomass and waste into bio-oils and other intermediates, refineries that run those intermediates through existing equipment, and a pilot site for blending hydrogen into natural gas pipelines. DOE has not yet published award sizes, cost share, or eligibility, and nothing is open for applications. Companies can already join the Teaming Partner List on DOE eXCHANGE to find project partners.
The notice describes research, development, and scale-up projects in three topic areas. DOE ties the effort to the Unleashing American Energy executive order and says it will strengthen the fertilizer supply chain for farmers and ranchers. Each topic area comes with a scale target, set out in Exhibit 1.
Exhibit 1
Planned topic areas, DE-FOA-0003648 notice of intent
| Topic area | What DOE wants | Scale target |
|---|---|---|
| Biointermediate Depots | Pilot sites that turn biomass and waste into liquid intermediates such as sugars, biocrudes, or bio-oils, then ship them to a central refinery or biorefinery for upgrading | 5 to 10 dry tons per day |
| Refinery Integration | Commodity chemicals and fuels made from alternative feedstocks in existing refinery assets, for example by co-processing biocrudes or waste plastic oils with crude oil | Test runs at an existing pilot facility of at least 10 gallons per day, for at least 1,000 cumulative hours |
| Hydrogen/Natural Gas Blending Pilot Site | A pilot facility to test blending hydrogen into natural gas and distributing the blend, measuring reliability, scalability, and pipeline component durability | Up to 30% hydrogen by volume, with a stretch goal of 80% |
Sources: DOE AFFO announcement, October 14, 2026; DOE eXCHANGE, DE-FOA-0003648 notice of intent.
The depot topic covers a wide range of feedstocks, including lignocellulosic biomass, algae, organic wet wastes, municipal solid waste, and waste streams such as used tires. At 5 to 10 dry tons a day, a depot running year-round would process roughly 1,800 to 3,650 dry tons of feedstock. The refinery topic sets a higher bar on economics: applicants must show a credible path to converting feedstock into chemicals or fuel cost-effectively "without incentives at commercial scale."
The blending pilot is the one topic aimed at gas infrastructure. Applicants should use existing assets and include a plan for running the facility once the DOE award ends, and DOE expects the work to show what workforce hydrogen blending would need.
The announcement names fertilizer alongside chemicals and fuels, and DOE Assistant Secretary Audrey Robertson said the effort is about "empowering farmers, ranchers, and energy producers to lower prices." The notice itself does not include a separate fertilizer topic, so the full funding opportunity will show where fertilizer projects fit. This is AFFO's second major announcement in six weeks. On September 4, 2026, the office opened up to $58 million for chemical technologies that run on biomass and waste.
DOE has not set any deadlines yet, so the concept paper and application dates in Exhibit 2 are our estimates, based on how long applicants had in recent DOE bioenergy funding opportunities. They are not guaranteed. DOE also says the final funding opportunity "could differ significantly" from the notice of intent or may not be issued at all. If it is released, AFFO plans a webinar on a new, streamlined application and review process.
Exhibit 2
Timeline, as of October 15, 2026, with estimated deadlines
| Date | Milestone |
|---|---|
| October 13, 2026 | Notice of intent DE-FOA-0003648 posted on DOE eXCHANGE |
| October 14, 2026 | DOE announces intent to award up to $60 million |
| November 2026 (expected) | Funding opportunity released, with award sizes, cost share, eligibility, and deadlines |
| After release | AFFO webinar on the streamlined application and review process |
| December 2026 to early February 2027 (estimated) | Concept papers due |
| Late January to April 2027 (estimated) | Full applications due |
Sources: DOE eXCHANGE, DE-FOA-0003648 notice of intent. Concept paper and application dates are Crawford Partners estimates, not guaranteed, based on DE-FOA-0003647, DE-FOA-0003518, and DE-FOA-0003520, where concept papers were due 35 to 65 days after release and full applications 88 to 142 days after release.
If your company runs a biorefinery, a refinery or pilot unit that could take a new feedstock, or a gas system that could host a blending pilot, this is worth a look now. Nothing is due until the full notice comes out, but two steps take time and can start today. First, register in SAM.gov: DOE requires an active registration and Unique Entity Identifier to apply, and registration can take several weeks, so companies already registered should confirm theirs is active. Second, reach out to your congressional delegation and to state and local elected officials, and begin socializing the project and the planned application so there is time to secure letters of support.
Companies looking for project partners can join the Teaming Partner List, which is already open on DOE eXCHANGE. If you want a read on fit before the November release, reach out to our team.
© Copyright 2026 TC Policy Group, LLC (d/b/a Crawford Partners). The views expressed herein are those of the author(s) and not necessarily the views of Crawford Partners, its management, its subsidiaries, its affiliates, or its other professionals. Crawford Partners is not a law firm and cannot provide legal advice.