Office: Resource Sustainability
FOA number: DE-FOA-0003015
Download the full funding opportunity: FedConnect 
Funding Amount: $23.2 million

Update: Modification 000002 was issued to extend the submission deadline and expected dates for selection notifications and award. This modification also changes the estimated funding, anticipated award size, and maximum DOE share.

Background Information

On September 13, 2023, the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management (FECM) announced up to $17.2 million to evaluate the potential for unconventional oil production through a combined process that uses captured carbon dioxide emissions to recover residual oil—called carbon dioxide enhanced oil recovery—while safely and permanently storing that carbon dioxide underground in the oilfield. The research targeted through this funding will help to accelerate carbon storage operations in depleted domestic oilfields, repurposing existing infrastructure in support of the Biden-Harris Administration’s historic decarbonization goals.

Carbon dioxide enhanced oil recovery is a technique used to recover oil, typically from mature fields that are no longer productive using traditional oil recovery methods, which can leave up to two-thirds of the original oil in place. In conventional oilfields, the carbon dioxide enhanced oil recovery process is not only effective in increasing ultimate oil recovery, but also in its ability to geologically store carbon dioxide emissions through the recovery process. Following the carbon dioxide enhanced oil recovery operations, the captured carbon dioxide remains permanently underground in the geologic formation, thereby prevented from entering the atmosphere. This funding opportunity focuses on examining the effectiveness of this process when applied to low-permeability, light-oil fields that have dominated new production in recent years.

Through scientific research carried out using a field laboratory, projects awarded this funding will inject carbon dioxide under various scenarios, measure the volumes of incremental oil produced and carbon dioxide permanently stored, and evaluate the conditions under which oil wells in depleted unconventional reservoirs can be transitioned to carbon storage wells in a manner that economically yields a reduction in carbon emissions.

Eligibility

Eligible applicants include individuals, educational institutions, for- and non-profit organizations, and state, local, and tribal governments.

Areas of Interest

This funding opportunity announcement has one area of interest:

1. Evaluating and Validating the Incremental Oil Production via Carbon Dioxide Enhanced Oil Recovery Injection in Unconventional Oil Reservoirs Using Horizontal, Hydraulically Fractured Wells and Assessing the Carbon Dioxide Storage Potential

Funding

DOE expects to make up to two awards for up to $11.6 million each with a minimum of a 20% cost-sharing from the awardees.

Key Dates

Additional Information

• Download the full funding opportunity on FedConnect.
• All applicants must register and apply on Grants.gov and submit questions through FedConnect

Last Updated: December 7, 2023