DE-FOA-0003535 Request for Information (RFI): Defining Sustainable Maritime Fuels in the United States

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An Action Plan for Maritime Energy and Emissions Innovation (Action Plan) calls for the Federal government to define Sustainable Maritime Fuel (SMF) in 2025. As described in the Action Plan, the maritime industry cannot rely solely on drop-in fuel replacements, so vessels must look towards alternative energy sources such as clean methanol, ammonia, hydrogen, electrification, and efficiency improvements as the industry moves towards zero- and near zero-emission fuels. This action is key to evaluating many subsequent goals in the plan pertaining to future production volumes of SMFs. It will also help to align community, industry, government, financiers, and other maritime stakeholders regarding what qualifies as a SMF. This alignment will help to advance technology and investment with a consistent understanding of future maritime fuels. This Request for Information (RFI) seeks to engage industry, government, and maritime stakeholders for feedback on how to define “Sustainable Maritime Fuel.” While this RFI is being published by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), DOE is also working with other agencies to support the development of an SMF definition; these agencies include but are not limited to the U.S. Department of Transportation, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the Department of State, and the Environmental Protection Agency. This collaborative effort seeks feedback on a variety of aspects that may affect the eventual SMF definition, including but not necessarily limited to: minimum carbon intensity reductions, sustainability factors, criteria air pollutant inclusion (e.g. NOx, SOx, and particulate matter), acceptable feedstocks, how to align with global requirements (e.g. International Maritime Organization (IMO) and FuelEU), and whether accounting for emission reduction technologies (such as onboard carbon capture) should be included. Responses to this RFI must be submitted electronically to DefiningSMF@ee.doe.gov no later than 5:00pm (ET) on February 28, 2025. Responses must be provided as attachments to an email. It is recommended that attachments with file sizes exceeding 25MB be compressed (i.e., zipped) to ensure message delivery. Responses must be provided as a Microsoft Word (.docx) attachment to the email, and no more than 3 pages in length, 12 point font, 1 inch margins. Only electronic responses will be accepted. This is solely a request for information and not a Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO). EERE is not accepting applications. Please see the full RFI document at EERE-Exchange.Energy.gov.