The Office of Oil and Natural Gas leads research, development, and demonstration (RD&D) projects to enhance the resilience, reliability, and performance of the nation’s oil and natural gas systems. Through technology innovation and infrastructure modernization, the Office ensures that America’s hydrocarbon resources remain affordable, secure, abundant, and capable of meeting growing energy demand.
Aligned with the Hydrocarbons and Geothermal Energy Office’s (HGEO’s) mission to unleash the full potential of America’s hydrocarbon and geothermal resources, the Office of Oil and Natural Gas focuses on advancing technologies that increase domestic production, improve recovery across resource types, and bolster the reliability and safety of midstream and downstream infrastructure.
The Office’s work includes:
Extending the Economic Life of Primary Recovery Operations
- Transforming produced water into a resource by advancing alternatives to disposal.
- Maximizing primary recovery by improving drilling and completion techniques through field test sites.
- Developing and deploying technologies for stranded production and for converting waste streams to value.
Doubling the Recovery Factor in Unconventional Reservoirs
- Supporting large scale deployment of carbon dioxide enhanced oil recovery (EOR) to de-risk commercial viability.
- Advancing alternative EOR and enhanced gas recovery (EGR) methods for field deployment.
Advancing Exploration and Emerging Plays Throughout the Development Life Cycle
- Characterizing, appraising, and valuing emerging plays through partnerships with the Department of the Interior, the Bureau of Land Management, the U.S. Geologic Survey, and industry partnerships.
- Identifying, assessing, and de-risking new exploration opportunities across emerging basins.
Increasing Efficiencies and Reliability of Midstream and Power Generation Infrastructure
- Optimizing throughput of existing infrastructure.
- Supporting the buildout of new infrastructure to meet growing domestic and export demand.
- Increasing energy conversion efficiencies to strengthen system performance.
In addition to its RD&D portfolio, the Office provides strategic analysis and leads coordination efforts across federal agencies, state partners, and international stakeholders to strengthen the resilience of America’s oil and natural gas supply chains.
Advancing Administration Priorities
The Office of Oil and Natural Gas aligns its objectives with Secretary Wright’s nine strategic initiatives as outlined in the Secretarial Order, “Unleashing the Golden Era of American Energy Dominance.” This includes advancing energy addition, unleashing American energy innovation, strengthening grid reliability and security, modernizing critical energy infrastructure, and promoting affordability and choice for American consumers. These efforts also advance the Trump Administration’s directives to expand domestic oil and natural gas production, restore regular order to liquefied natural gas (LNG) exports, and reduce regulatory burdens that have constrained investment and infrastructure development.
For more information contact FE-30Correspondence@hq.doe.gov.