Funding opportunity – Critical mineral extraction combined with geothermal energy

The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Critical Minerals and Energy Innovation (CMEI) and Hydrocarbons and Geothermal Energy Office (HGEO) have announced a new funding opportunity of up to USD 69 million for technologies and processes that advance production and refining of critical minerals.

Topic Area 3 of this funding opportunity focuses on methods to extract, separate, and process lithium from geothermal brine and clay sources; pre- and post-processing capabilities to ensure cost-effective lithium extraction; and exploration of critical materials and rare earth elements from geothermal resources. Topics 3B and 3C have a special focus the combination of critical mineral extraction and geothermal energy.

The deadline for applications for Topic Area 3 is on 20 July 2026.

There will also be an informational webinar on the funding opportunity announcement, scheduled on 16 April 2026 at 11:30 AM ET.

Topic Area 3B is for “Advancing pre- post- treatment and disposal technologies for direct lithium extraction from geothermal brines.” Applications of specific interest under this topic area include projects that address pretreatment and/or posttreatment of a geothermal brine that increase the selectivity, yield, and purity of DLE process and reduce the steps needed to produce a battery-grade lithium product. Applicants must ensure technologies will operate in geothermal temperatures and conditions.

Topic Area 3C is for “Exploration and characterization of critical materials and REEs from volcanic hosted geothermal systems.” Applications of interest include projects that explore and characterize critical materials and REEs of economic quantities found in geothermal brines that are hosted in volcanic systems. Take note that applications focusing on Salton Sea or Smackover Formation are specifically NOT of interest under this topic area.

An approximate total funding of USD 9 million is available for topic area 3B, while about USD 6 million has been allocated for Topic Area 3C.

There is growing interest in coupling direct lithium extraction with geothermal energy production, as it addresses the two high-priority areas of critical mineral security and energy security. In Imperial County, California, Controlled Thermal Resources plans to build up to 600 MW of geothermal power generation capacity and a lithium extraction facility. The project has been recognized as a FAST-41 covered project, recognizing its importance in the critical mineral security strategy of the United States.

Source: US Department of Energy