I believe you are correct James and this will unfold very soon. I think it's a lot bigger than anyone here knows. The DOE does not communicate with and ask for further testing with .09 cent penny stock companies unless there is something major going on behind the scenes. We shall see soon what's going on.
Agreed "It must be for one hefty grant." With clean coal, DOE has egg on its' face. The landscape is littered with failed clean coal projects they have subdized over the years. They cannot afford yet another failure! IMHO DOE is deeply involved in the details of CCTC's grant application process.
Again, this is wildly speculative. Take a look at the grants awarded in recent years. Just about all of them are for less than $1 million. It's good to dream. But it's better to be realistic.