The U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE’s) Hydrocarbons and Geothermal Energy Office (HGEO) is comprised of a dedicated team of approximately 730 federal employees and 1,860 contractors—scientists, engineers, technicians, and administrative staff. Its headquarters are in downtown Washington, D.C., and in Germantown, MD.
Within HGEO, the Office of Strategic Resources administers DOE’s regulatory responsibilities for liquefied natural gas (LNG) exports under the Natural Gas Act and oversees the nation’s strategic and emergency fuel reserves. This includes the Naval Petroleum Reserve, the Northeast Home Heating Oil Reserve, and the Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR). The SPR has a Project Management Office located in New Orleans, LA, and operates four major sites along the Gulf Coast (Bryan Mound, Big Hill, West Hackberry, and Bayou Choctaw).
The organization also includes the National Energy Technology Laboratory (with offices in Morgantown, WV, Pittsburgh, PA, Houston, TX, Albany, OR, and Anchorage, AK).
Mission:
HGEO’s mission is to unleash the full potential of America’s hydrocarbon and geothermal resources to provide affordable, reliable, and secure energy. Through innovation and U.S. energy leadership, HGEO advances breakthrough technologies that lower costs and power American prosperity, freedom, and human flourishing.
What We Do:
- Conduct cutting-edge research, development, and demonstration (RD&D) across hydrocarbon and geothermal energy sectors.
- Accelerate the deployment of breakthrough technologies that strengthen U.S. energy security, reliability, and affordability.
- Support domestic energy production, including oil, natural gas, coal, and geothermal energy resources, to drive energy abundance and strengthen American energy dominance.
- Administer DOE’s regulatory responsibilities for liquefied natural gas (LNG) exports under the Natural Gas Act.
- Oversee the nation’s strategic and emergency fuel reserves, including the Strategic Petroleum Reserve.
- Foster partnerships with industry, academia, and other government agencies to deliver solutions that bolster U.S. energy security.
HGEO encompasses four specialized offices, each advancing key areas of the nation’s energy portfolio:
Office of Coal – leads RD&D to stabilize, optimize, and grow the American coal industry, restoring it as a cornerstone of the U.S. energy mix.
Office of Oil and Natural Gas – leads RD&D to ensure the resilience of U.S. oil and natural gas systems throughout the United States.
Geothermal Technologies Office – accelerates the discovery and development of gigawatt-scale geothermal energy to position geothermal as a competitive domestic source for reliable baseload electricity generation.
Office of Strategic Resources – administers DOE’s regulatory responsibilities for LNG exports under the Natural Gas Act and oversees the nation’s strategic and emergency fuel reserves.
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Last Updated: December 19, 2025