The Energy Department cancels clean-cement awards to Sublime and Brimstone

May 30, 2025 — Energy Secretary Chris Wright terminated 24 awards from the Office of Clean Energy Demonstrations, including four for cutting emissions from cement plants, saying they "were not economically viable." Here's what happened, what it cost, and what went wrong.

Cost and outcome (as of May 30, 2025)

Outcome: DOE said it ended 24 awards "totaling over $3.7 billion" and was "generating an immediate $3.6 billion in savings." (U.S. Department of Energy, May 30, 2025)
Cost to cement: The posted award list shows $500,000,000 each for Heidelberg Materials US (Louisiana) and National Cement Company of California (Lebec, Calif.), $189,000,000 for Brimstone Energy (location TBD) and $86,907,197 for Sublime Systems (Holyoke, Mass.). Added together, that's $1,275,907,197, about 34% of the list's $3,729,035,865 total. (Carbon Capture Coalition, DOE award list dated May 29, 2025 (PDF))
Paid out: Only $99 million of the cancelled grants "had gone out the door, DOE said," E&E News reported. (E&E News, May 30, 2025)

What DOE said

DOE said that after "a thorough and individualized financial review" the projects "failed to advance the energy needs of the American people" and "would not generate a positive return on investment." It said 16 of the 24 were signed between Election Day and Jan. 20, and that the projects were mainly for carbon capture and decarbonization. (U.S. Department of Energy, May 30, 2025)

Wright said the Trump administration is "doing our due diligence" and that "the previous administration failed to conduct a thorough financial review before signing away billions of taxpayer dollars." (U.S. Department of Energy, May 30, 2025; E&E News, May 30, 2025)

The review followed a secretarial memorandum, "Ensuring Responsibility for Financial Assistance," issued earlier that month, the department said. (U.S. Department of Energy, May 30, 2025)

The cement companies respond

E&E News reported that the largest cancelled awards were carbon capture projects at cement plants. A Brimstone spokesperson, Liza Darwin, said the company believes the decision was based on a "misunderstanding," and that its Rock Refinery is "the only economically viable way to produce the critical mineral alumina in the U.S. from U.S.-mined rocks." (E&E News, May 30, 2025)

Sublime Systems spokesperson Erin Glabets said the company was "surprised and disappointed," E&E reported. Heidelberg Materials spokesperson David Perkins said "DOE indicates this decision can be appealed" and the company was evaluating that. (E&E News, May 30, 2025)

The list places Sublime's award in Holyoke, Mass., where World Cement said the company was developing its first commercial factory; a week earlier, Microsoft had announced a binding purchase of up to 622,500 tonnes of the company's cement, a deal World Cement said would draw on Holyoke and a later full-scale plant. (Carbon Capture Coalition, DOE award list dated May 29, 2025 (PDF); World Cement, May 23, 2025)

Carbon Capture Coalition executive director Jessie Stolark called the decision "hugely disappointing." Rep. Marcy Kaptur (D-Ohio), ranking member of the House subcommittee that funds DOE, said, "We're ceding ground to global competitors." Steven Nadel of the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy said "locking domestic plants into outdated technology is not a recipe for future competitiveness." E&E also reported that more than 70 percent of the demonstrations office's staff had opted to leave under a deferred resignation program. (E&E News, May 30, 2025)

What went wrong

Three different totals. DOE's headline says over $3 billion in savings, its text says over $3.7 billion in awards and $3.6 billion in immediate savings, and E&E says only $99 million had been paid out. The list totals $3,729,035,865. (U.S. Department of Energy, May 30, 2025; E&E News, May 30, 2025; Carbon Capture Coalition, DOE award list dated May 29, 2025 (PDF))
Most were brand new. DOE said 16 of the 24 awards were signed after the 2024 election. The list dates Sublime's award to Nov. 4, 2024, and Brimstone's to Dec. 31, 2024. (U.S. Department of Energy, May 30, 2025; Carbon Capture Coalition, DOE award list dated May 29, 2025 (PDF))
Appeals possible. Heidelberg's spokesperson said the decision can be appealed, so these may not be final. (E&E News, May 30, 2025)
What we don't know yet: whether any of the four cement projects appealed or found replacement funding.

Our follow-up question for The Energy Department

Have any of the four cancelled cement awards been appealed or reinstated?

Sources

U.S. Department of Energy, “Secretary Wright Announces Termination of 24 Projects, Generating Over $3 Billion in Taxpayer Savings,” May 30, 2025. energy.gov
E&E News (Brian Dabbs, Carlos Anchondo, Christa Marshall), “DOE axes clean energy grants worth nearly $4B,” May 30, 2025. eenews.net
Carbon Capture Coalition, DOE award cancellation list dated May 29, 2025 (PDF). carboncapturecoalition.org
World Cement, “Sublime Systems and Microsoft sign long-term purchase to transform clean cement market,” May 23, 2025. worldcement.com

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