The Department of Energy announced plans Wednesday to issue nearly $1 billion in funding opportunities to boost domestic production and processing of critical minerals, part of the Trump administration’s push to reduce American dependence on foreign suppliers.
The funding will target mining, processing, and manufacturing technologies across key stages of the critical minerals supply chain, officials said. The initiative follows President Trump’s Executive Order Unleashing American Energy.
“For too long, the United States has relied on foreign actors to supply and process the critical materials that are essential to modern life and our national security,” Energy Secretary Chris Wright said in a statement.
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The largest portion — $500 million — will go toward battery materials processing, manufacturing and recycling through the Office of Manufacturing and Energy Supply Chains. Recipients must provide at least 50% cost-sharing.
An additional $250 million will support industrial facilities that can extract valuable mineral byproducts from existing operations, administered by the Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management.
Other programs include $135 million for rare earth elements demonstration facilities, $50 million for the Critical Minerals and Materials Accelerator program, and $40 million to recover critical minerals from industrial wastewater.
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The funding targets materials essential for semiconductors, batteries, magnets, and other technologies, including lithium, gallium, germanium, rare earth elements, and silicon carbide.
Officials said the programs aim to strengthen national security and industrial competitiveness by establishing more predictable domestic supply chains for materials currently dominated by foreign producers.
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