Request for Information: Energy Critical Materials Assessment

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), through its Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), has issued a Request for Information (RFI) titled "Energy Critical Materials Assessment" under funding opportunity number DE-FOA-0003568. This RFI does not solicit applications for financial assistance or incentive programs. Rather, its purpose is to collect input from stakeholders to inform the DOE’s upcoming 2026 Energy Critical Materials Assessment. Information gathered will be used to shape policies and strategies relating to the identification, prioritization, and support of materials critical to the U.S. energy sector. This initiative is grounded in Executive Order 14154, "Unleashing American Energy," which directs the DOE to identify and support projects related to the production and processing of non-fuel critical minerals. The DOE has used a structured methodology since 2010 to assess the criticality of materials based on their supply risk and importance to energy technologies. The upcoming 2026 assessment will update this methodology, considering advancements in technology, market dynamics, and evolving national and global priorities. Key focus areas for this RFI include energy technologies, materials of interest, supply chain structures, market conditions, and domestic industrial challenges. The DOE's last assessment, completed in 2023, categorized several materials such as dysprosium, neodymium, gallium, and cobalt as critical due to their importance in applications like batteries, magnets, and power electronics. The DOE anticipates that its 2026 assessment will build on this, further refining the criticality matrix for both short-term (2020–2025) and medium-term (2025–2035) planning horizons. The scope will include direct material usage in energy production, transmission, storage, and end-use technologies, as well as engineered and indirect raw materials such as helium. Responses to this RFI will help guide the DOE in updating its critical materials list and methodology. This RFI is open to feedback from a wide range of stakeholders including industry, academia, laboratories, government agencies, Tribal entities, and the public. Respondents are encouraged to provide information on relevant energy technologies, critical material use and intensity, supply risks, recycling practices, substitutes, and the broader economic and regulatory environment. Detailed questions are provided under eight categories, including methodology improvements and harmonization of DOE and DOI critical materials lists. To submit a response, stakeholders must email their documents in PDF or Word format to EnergyCriticalMaterialsRFI@ee.doe.gov. The file should be no more than 10 pages in length, formatted with 12-point font and 1-inch margins. All submissions must be received by 5:00 PM ET on July 25, 2025. Confidential information should be submitted in two versions: one marked confidential and one non-confidential, in accordance with 10 CFR 1004.11. The DOE reserves the right to share responses with non-federal evaluators bound by confidentiality agreements, and will not provide individualized feedback or responses. Although this RFI may inform future funding opportunities, it does not guarantee the issuance of a Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO). Responses are non-binding and will be used solely to assist the DOE in shaping future assessments and strategies regarding critical materials for energy.