The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced $169 million for nine projects to accelerate electric heat pump manufacturing at 15 sites across the country.
Honeywell’s Geismer, Louisiana, facility was one of the chosen recipients of this grant and will receive approximately $14.8 million.
The money will cover 40% of the costs of the $36 million, which is expected to be completed within 36 months of the funding commitment.
The project is granted as the first awards from DOE’s authorization, invoked by President Biden using emergency authority based on climate change, to utilize the Defense Production Act (DPA) to increase domestic production of five key clean energy technologies, including electric heat pumps.
The money was funded through the Inflation Reduction Act, which passed Congress last year.
“Today’s Defense Production Act funds for heat pump manufacturing show that President Biden is treating climate change as the crisis it is,” said John Podesta, Senior Advisor to the President for Clean Energy Innovation and Implementation. “These awards will grow domestic manufacturing, create good-paying jobs and boost American competitiveness in industries of the future.”
The expansion would allow Honeywell to produce an additional quantity of R-454B, which is a refrigerant blend used for electric heat pumps. HFO-1234yf is a low global warming potential component used to produce R-454B.
This expansion would also create a minimum of 50 construction, technology, or clean energy temporary jobs throughout construction and retain 468 American jobs at the Ascension Parish plant. Geismer is located just over 20 miles southeast of Baton Rouge.
