Opportunity Information: Apply for DE FOA 0003605
The Department of Energy (DOE) funding opportunity announcement DE-FOA-0003605, titled "Restoring Reliability: Coal Recommissioning and Modernization," is a discretionary energy grant program aimed at addressing what DOE describes as an urgent grid capacity and reliability crisis. The opportunity is framed around findings from DOE's 2025 Grid Reliability Assessment (DOE/GR-2025-001), which concluded that coal plant retirements are happening faster than replacement additions of resources considered reliable, affordable, and secure. DOE emphasizes that the problem is most severe in areas where transmission is constrained and electricity demand is steadily growing, creating a near-term risk that available firm capacity will not keep up with load.
A central theme of the announcement is that the current operating environment is putting unusual stress on existing thermal generators. As intermittent renewable generation expands, coal and other thermal units are being required to ramp and cycle more frequently than they were designed to do. DOE argues that this cycling accelerates wear, increases forced outage rates, and raises the likelihood of localized reliability events and even broader blackouts during tight conditions. The program is also justified by rising electricity demand tied to national security and industrial priorities, including defense installations, semiconductor manufacturing, AI data centers, critical mineral processing, and broader industrial reshoring. These loads are highlighted as requiring continuous, high-confidence power supply, which DOE positions as difficult to ensure in the near term without additional firm generation.
Within that context, the FOA focuses on coal-fired generation assets as a near-term reliability lever because they already have significant infrastructure in place. The opportunity is designed to support projects that recommission, retrofit, modernize, or strategically repurpose coal assets to restore or enhance dependable capacity. The underlying premise is that bringing existing coal units back online, extending their life, improving their operational flexibility, and upgrading key systems can be faster and more cost-effective than building entirely new large-scale firm generation, particularly in regions where permitting, supply chains, and transmission expansion could delay alternatives.
The announcement connects directly to federal emergency posture as well. It references Executive Order 14156 (January 2025), which declared a national energy emergency and directed DOE and other agencies to use their statutory authorities to ensure reliable, affordable, and secure generation resources. That executive direction is used to reinforce the urgency of the program and DOE's intent to move resources toward actions that can reduce reliability risk in the near term, especially where reserve margins are shrinking or where load growth is outpacing infrastructure development.
From an administrative standpoint, the program is administered by DOE's Golden Field Office and is listed under CFDA 81.255. The funding instrument type is identified as "Other" under a discretionary funding opportunity in the energy activity category. The FOA anticipates making roughly 10 awards, with an award ceiling of $70,000,000 per award. The original application closing date is November 13, 2025, and the opportunity record shows a creation date of October 3, 2025. Eligible applicants are broad and include state, county, and city or township governments; public and private institutions of higher education; federally recognized tribal governments and other tribal organizations; 501(c)(3) nonprofits (other than IHEs); and for-profit organizations other than small businesses.
In practical terms, this opportunity is best understood as DOE funding intended to quickly shore up grid reliability by leveraging existing coal plant sites and equipment where doing so can add dependable capacity, reduce outage risk, and support critical new industrial and defense-related electricity demand. The emphasis is not simply on keeping plants operating as-is, but on targeted recommissioning and modernization efforts intended to improve performance under today's more volatile operating conditions, with the broader goal of stabilizing the grid while the nation navigates rapid load growth and changing generation mixes.Apply for DE FOA 0003605
- The Golden Field Office in the energy sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Restoring Reliability: Coal Recommissioning and Modernization" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 81.255.
- This funding opportunity was created on 2025-10-03.
- Applicants must submit their applications by 2025-11-13. (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 $70,000,000.00 in funding.
- The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 10 candidate(s).
- Eligible applicants include: State governments, County governments, City or township governments, Public and State controlled institutions of higher education, Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized), Native American tribal organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments), Nonprofits having a 501 (c) (3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Private institutions of higher education, For-profit organizations other than small businesses.
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
1) What is the name and number of this DOE funding opportunity?
The opportunity is the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) DE-FOA-0003605, titled "Restoring Reliability: Coal Recommissioning and Modernization."
2) What is the purpose of this grant program?
This discretionary energy grant program is intended to address what DOE describes as an urgent grid capacity and reliability crisis by supporting projects that can restore or enhance dependable (firm) generating capacity using existing coal-fired generation assets and their associated infrastructure.
3) What problem is DOE trying to solve through this FOA?
DOE frames the problem as coal plant retirements occurring faster than additions of replacement resources that DOE considers reliable, affordable, and secure. DOE highlights heightened risk in areas with constrained transmission and steadily growing electricity demand, where near-term firm capacity may not keep up with load.
4) What DOE analysis is cited as the basis for the FOA?
The FOA is framed around DOE's 2025 Grid Reliability Assessment (DOE/GR-2025-001), which DOE cites for findings related to retirements, replacement timing, transmission constraints, and reliability risk.
5) Why does DOE emphasize "reliability" and "firm capacity" in this program?
DOE emphasizes that near-term reliability risks increase when available firm capacity does not keep pace with rising load, especially under tight conditions. The FOA is positioned as a way to quickly add or restore dependable capacity using assets that already exist.
6) Why are coal plants specifically targeted in this opportunity?
DOE positions coal-fired generation assets as a near-term reliability lever because they already have significant infrastructure in place. The FOA supports work to bring units back online, extend operating life, improve operational flexibility, and upgrade key systems, which DOE suggests can be faster and more cost-effective than building entirely new large-scale firm generation in many regions.
7) What kinds of projects does the FOA aim to fund?
The FOA is designed to support projects that recommission, retrofit, modernize, or strategically repurpose coal assets in ways that restore or enhance dependable capacity and reduce outage risk.
8) What does "recommissioning" mean in the context of this FOA?
Based on the FOA description, recommissioning refers to bringing existing coal units back online (or restoring their operational status) to increase available dependable capacity in the near term.
9) What does "modernization" mean in the context of this FOA?
Modernization refers to targeted upgrades intended to improve performance under today's operating conditions, including improving operational flexibility and upgrading key systems so units can operate more reliably when subjected to more frequent ramping and cycling.
10) Why does DOE discuss ramping and cycling of thermal units?
DOE argues that as intermittent renewable generation expands, coal and other thermal units are increasingly required to ramp and cycle more frequently than they were designed to do. DOE states this can accelerate wear, increase forced outage rates, and raise the likelihood of localized reliability events and broader blackouts during tight system conditions.
11) What types of demand growth are mentioned as motivating this program?
DOE highlights rising electricity demand tied to national security and industrial priorities, including defense installations, semiconductor manufacturing, AI data centers, critical mineral processing, and broader industrial reshoring.
12) Why does DOE highlight defense and industrial loads?
DOE characterizes these loads as requiring continuous, high-confidence power supply and suggests that ensuring such supply in the near term may be difficult without additional firm generation resources.
13) How is this FOA linked to federal emergency actions?
The FOA references Executive Order 14156 (January 2025), which declared a national energy emergency and directed DOE and other agencies to use their statutory authorities to ensure reliable, affordable, and secure generation resources. The FOA uses that direction to reinforce urgency and near-term action to reduce reliability risk.
14) Who is administering this funding opportunity?
The program is administered by DOE's Golden Field Office.
15) What is the CFDA number for this program?
The opportunity is listed under CFDA 81.255.
16) What is the funding instrument type?
The funding instrument type is identified as "Other" under a discretionary funding opportunity in the energy activity category.
17) Approximately how many awards does DOE expect to make?
The FOA anticipates making roughly 10 awards.
18) What is the maximum award amount?
The award ceiling is $70,000,000 per award.
19) When is the application closing date?
The original application closing date is November 13, 2025.
20) What is the opportunity record creation date?
The opportunity record shows a creation date of October 3, 2025.
21) Who is eligible to apply?
Eligible applicants are described broadly and include:
- State governments
- County governments
- City or township governments
- Public and private institutions of higher education
- Federally recognized tribal governments and other tribal organizations
- 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations (other than institutions of higher education)
- For-profit organizations other than small businesses
22) Are small businesses eligible as for-profit applicants?
As stated in the provided information, eligible applicants include for-profit organizations other than small businesses. That wording indicates small businesses are not included under the for-profit eligibility category for this FOA as described here.
23) Is this a formula grant or a discretionary grant?
This FOA is described as a discretionary energy grant program.
24) What regions or grid conditions does DOE say are most at risk?
DOE states the reliability problem is most severe in areas where transmission is constrained and electricity demand is steadily growing, creating a near-term risk that available firm capacity will not keep up with load.
25) Is the FOA focused on keeping coal plants operating exactly as they are today?
No. The emphasis is described as targeted recommissioning and modernization efforts to improve performance under more volatile operating conditions, rather than simply keeping plants operating as-is.
26) What is the main practical takeaway of this funding opportunity?
In practical terms, this is DOE funding intended to quickly shore up grid reliability by leveraging existing coal plant sites and equipment where doing so can add dependable capacity, reduce outage risk, and support critical new industrial and defense-related electricity demand.
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