Advanced Reactor Demonstration | DE FOA 0002271

Opportunity Information: Apply for DE FOA 0002271

The Advanced Reactor Demonstration funding opportunity (DOE FOA 0002271) is a U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Nuclear Energy effort to accelerate real-world demonstrations of advanced nuclear reactor technologies led by U.S. private industry. The central idea is to move beyond paper studies and lab-scale research by helping pay for the design, licensing, construction, and operation of multiple advanced reactor demonstrations that are reliable, cost-effective, licensable under U.S. regulatory requirements, and positioned to become commercially viable products. DOE is aiming for reactor designs that can compete in the near- and mid-term with other energy sources on both construction cost and operating cost, while also delivering meaningful upgrades in safety, security, economics, and environmental performance compared to today’s conventional nuclear plants.

This FOA sits within the Advanced Reactor Demonstration Program (ARDP), created with funding provided through the FY2020 Further Consolidation Appropriations Act (H.R. 1865). DOE frames ARDP as a public-private cost-shared push that combines federal support with substantial non-federal investment so that the projects are driven by commercial discipline and realistic deployment goals. The broader policy motivation is to maintain U.S. technological leadership in the global nuclear sector and strengthen national energy security, recognizing that the U.S. must continue advancing reactor technology from research and development into actual deployment if it wants to stay competitive internationally.

The announcement is organized into three pathways that reflect different maturity levels and timelines. The first pathway, Advanced Reactor Demonstrations, is the most deployment-focused and is intended to support two reactor designs that can reach operational status in roughly 5 to 7 years. The second pathway, Risk Reduction for Future Demonstration, is meant for 2 to 5 additional advanced reactor designs that are not as close to construction readiness; these projects are expected to have a commercialization timeline about five years longer than the first pathway and focus on reducing key technical, licensing, supply chain, and project execution risks that would otherwise delay a future demonstration. The third pathway, Advanced Reactor Concepts - 20, is intended to fund at least two new public-private partnership awards to push newer or less mature concepts toward the demonstration stage; these are expected to be about five years behind the Risk Reduction pathway in commercialization horizon, effectively creating a pipeline that ranges from near-term builds to longer-term innovations.

Funding is provided through cooperative agreements, which typically means DOE expects to be actively involved in the project through substantial federal oversight and collaboration rather than acting as a hands-off grantmaker. The opportunity is classified under the Energy funding activity category (CFDA 81.121), and the listed award ceiling is up to $4,000,000,000, reflecting the scale of capital needed to demonstrate nuclear reactors. The FOA was issued by DOE’s Idaho Field Office, with an original closing date of August 19, 2020 (noting this date is in the past and matters mainly for historical tracking of the solicitation unless a related or successor FOA is reissued).

Eligibility is broad across U.S.-based organizations and includes state, county, and city governments; special districts; independent school districts; public and private institutions of higher education; federally recognized tribal governments and certain tribal organizations; public housing authorities; nonprofits (with or without 501(c)(3) status); for-profit companies (including small businesses and other than small businesses); and other eligible entities. Practically, DOE is looking for applicants or teams that can actually design, build, license, and operate an advanced reactor demonstration, so typical applicants include reactor developers and vendors, fuel manufacturers, utilities and power producers, engineering/procurement/construction contractors, supply chain firms, universities, and industrial end users interested in non-electric applications such as process heat.

A key restriction is that prime recipients (the direct beneficiaries and lead awardees) must be located and/or based in the United States, and DOE indicates it only plans to consider awards where the prime awardee is owned, organized, and operated within the U.S. Applicants are expected to document eligibility in a required Letter of Intent, including information tied to 2 CFR 910.124. While the prime must be U.S.-based and U.S.-controlled as described, foreign subrecipients and vendors can be included on a project team in some circumstances, subject to additional requirements and limitations referenced in the FOA (including Appendix F). DOE also encourages teaming and joint ventures, reflecting the reality that advanced reactor demonstrations typically require integrated capabilities across technology development, licensing, project finance, construction management, and eventual plant operations.

Overall, this opportunity is designed to create a structured, staged portfolio of advanced reactor projects: a small number of near-term, build-and-operate demonstrations; a larger set of projects aimed at de-risking the next wave of demonstrations; and a smaller set of partnerships to mature newer concepts. The end goal is not just technical success, but a credible pathway to commercial deployment where advanced nuclear plants can be built and run safely, securely, and affordably at scale in U.S. and international markets.

• The Idaho Field Office in the energy, oz sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Advanced Reactor Demonstration" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 81.121.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2020-05-14.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2020-08-19. (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 $4,000,000,000.00 in funding.
• Eligible applicants include: State governments, County governments, City or township governments, Special district governments, Independent school districts, Public and State controlled institutions of higher education, Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized), Public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities, 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, Nonprofits that do not have 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, Small businesses, Others.

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