The U.S. Department of Energy has announced funding for indigenous gallium production projects

On September 11th, the US Department of Energy's Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management announced on September 10th local time that it intends to launch the "Gallium Recovery and Advanced Critical Materials Extraction Technology" (TRACE-Ga) program, which aims to establish a safe and independent domestic gallium supply chain. The program will support the development of innovative and economically viable technologies for recovering gallium from raw materials for metal processing in the United States, and promote the implementation of Trump's commitment to strengthen the supply chain of critical minerals in the United States. The proposed project will test and validate the prototype technology of gallium recovery. The goal is to produce no less than 50 kilograms of high-purity gallium through at least one 14-day continuous operation in a real metal industrial processing process. The purpose of the project is to verify the feasibility of prototype technology with the ability to produce at least 1 metric ton of gallium per year. Applicants for the TRACE-Ga funding opportunity must qualify as a homegrown entity. The DOE plans to open project filings in the coming weeks.