Unpacking DOE’s October Award Cancellations (October 2025) analyzes the full scope of the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) cancellation of 321 awards from its science and energy innovation offices announced on October 2, 2025. The cancellations total $8 billion in awarded funds. This analysis is part of EFI Foundation’s (EFIF) Modernizing American Energy Innovation series.
Key Findings:
- As of October 2025, five projects account for nearly 50% of the total cancellations, according to analysis by the EFI Foundation.
- Projects from the DOE’s Office of Clean Energy Demonstrations (OCED) account for over one-third of cancellations.
- Most of the cancelled awards (165 of 321) had an end date in 2025.
- Nearly every U.S. state will be affected when project activity locations are considered, not just company headquarters.
- $5.8 billion in obligations were terminated, representing 7% of DOE’s active contractual commitments. The majority of cancelled funding, $7.6 billion, had not yet been outlayed to recipients.
- 64 percent of cancelled funds were awarded to the public sector. State governments, public universities, and nonprofits were disproportionately affected.
The report also traces the complex path of deobligated funds and maps out potential scenarios that could unfold over the next several years.
The analysis draws from the U.S. Department of Treasury’s data, House Appropriations Committee-published data, National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) determination documents, and DOE press releases.
Read the full report for detailed breakdowns by office, technology, recipient, and state-level impacts.
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