QAZAQ GREEN. The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced the allocation of $425 million in funding for small and medium businesses to support clean energy manufacturing and industrial decarbonization projects in former coal communities, ESG Today reports.

The new investments, which will be funded by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL), passed by the Biden administration in 2021, and forms the second round of the Advanced Manufacturing and Recycling Grant Program, established by the BIL to support manufacturing projects in energy communities that have experienced coal mine or coal-fired power plant closures.

The new funding round of the program will prioritize two key themes, including Clean Energy Manufacturing and Recycling, targeting projects to establish, re-equip, or expand existing manufacturing or recycling facilities for the production or recycling of advanced energy, and; Industrial Decarbonization, focused on building or upgrading manufacturing facilities to substantially reduce greenhouse gas emissions and create low carbon materials.

Projects eligible to participate in the funding program include those based in communities where coal mines have closed since 1999, or coal-fired power plants have closed since, and for manufacturers with annual sales less than $100 million, and fewer than 500 employees at the plant site.

U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer M. Granholm, said:

“DOE is utilizing the historic investments in President Biden’s Investing in America agenda to expand economic opportunities to ensure former coal communities can take full advantage of the clean energy transition and continue their leading role in powering our nation.”