The DOE has issued a request for information (RFI) on challenges and opportunities in the upstream and midstream critical battery material supply chains.

“As the demand for critical materials continues to grow, a secure and domestic upstream supply chain becomes vital,” said Assistant Secretary for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Daniel R. Simmons. “Innovation in our domestic industries and continued investment by DOE programs will help strengthen our country’s ability to manufacture and recycle these materials and work toward more robust domestic supply chains.”

In this RFI, the DOE specifically seeks input on the current state of the battery cathode material supply chains, as well as opportunities for near-term and long-term R&D. Responses to the RFI will inform the agenda of the R&D Battery Critical Materials Supply Chain Workshop—tentatively planned for this fall—and the development of the R&D roadmap for the federal strategy.

The RFI also supports the DOE’s Energy Storage Grand Challenge, which draws on the extensive research capabilities of the DOE national laboratories, universities and industry to accelerate the development of energy storage technologies.

Responses to the RFI must be submitted by July 31, 2020.

Source: DOE