The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) announced on May 20 that it is accepting applications for its New Technology Implementation Grant program (NTIG).
Operating under the umbrella of the Texas Emissions Reduction Plan (TERP), the statewide initiative offers $16.5 million in competitive funding to offset the cost of implementing cleaner technologies at fixed industrial facilities.
The NTIG program is designed to cover up to 50% of a project’s incremental cost for upgrades that lower emissions from stationary sources. Eligible applicants — including individuals, corporations, and state or local government bodies — must legally own or operate a fixed facility in Texas and maintain active registration with the Texas Secretary of State.
The deadlines for submission is 5 p.m. Central Time on Sept. 25.
Funding from the $16.5 million pool is divided across three targeted technology sectors. For electricity storage projects, the program has $1 million exclusively for renewable energy storage systems boasting a rated capacity of one megawatt or greater. That can include lithium-ion batteries, sodium-sulfur storage batteries, compressed-air energy storage, pumped hydropower, and energy-retaining flywheels.
The new technology stationary source projects tier serves as a general industrial category, funding mechanisms that reduce criteria pollutants, hazardous air pollutants, or other emissions regulated under the Federal Clean Air Act and existing TCEQ permitting rules.
The oil and gas projects category targets infrastructure improvements throughout upstream, midstream, and downstream oil and gas activities. It does this by covering the replacement, repower, or retrofit of fixed compressor engines, alongside the installation of systems designed to capture escaping gas or mitigate site flaring emissions.
The program roll-out aligns with broader ongoing efforts by state regulators to update industrial baseline compliance ahead of the 90th Legislative Session. Detailed eligibility handbooks and application portals have been deployed to the primary NTIG Webpage to help entities calculate cost matches before the autumn deadline.
According to administrative guidelines released by the agency, all project selections will be determined on a competitive basis to maximize the volume of pollutants averted per dollar of state investment.