Please join ConservAmerica on March 15, 2023 for a discussion with LPO Director Jigar Shah. Director Shah will provide an update on LPO’s priorities and activities, including its operational improvements, as well as explain how the LPO fits into DOE’s overall efforts to accelerate and commercialize breakthrough technologies. We will also hear from James Calaway, the executive chairman of Ioneer, which is the company developing the Rhyolite Ridge lithium mining and production project in Nevada.

The Department of Energy’s Loan Programs Office (LPO) is one of the centerpieces of the Biden Administration’s plans to transform the energy sector. As of January 2023, the LPO had over 125 pending applications requesting almost $120 billion in loans and loan guarantees. In the past few months, the office has made a flurry of announcements for a variety of different projects, including lithium production and battery manufacturing. At the same time, there are continuing questions about the program and how it has changed to address and avoid previous concerns.