The mission of the Hydrocarbons and Geothermal Energy Office (HGEO) is to unleash the full potential of America’s hydrocarbon and geothermal resources to provide affordable, reliable, and secure energy.
Through applied innovation and U.S. energy leadership, HGEO develops and advances breakthrough technologies that lower costs and power American prosperity, freedom, and human flourishing.
By leveraging America’s hydrocarbon and geothermal resources, HGEO works to enhance reliable baseload power, strengthen grid reliability, and improve long-term energy security for communities nationwide. These activities are pursued in partnership with the National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL), DOE’s only government-owned, government-operated National Laboratory focused on advancing the nation’s energy future.
Strategic Goals
- Stabilize, optimize, and grow the American coal industry, restoring it as a cornerstone of our energy mix.
- Ensure resilience of U.S. oil and natural gas production and infrastructure reliability.
- Accelerate the discovery and development of gigawatt-scale geothermal energy and position geothermal as a competitive domestic source for reliable baseload electricity generation.
- Ensure the security, stability, and strategic value of the Nation’s oil and gas exports and the Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR).
- Fill the SPR its maximum capacity and maintain drawdown readiness
- Drive execution of the HGEO mission through the implementation of leading-edge, efficient, and fiscally responsible solutions across HGEO programs, processes, and systems.
- Uphold gold standard science and advance industry aligned technologies to commercial-scale.
Program Offices
Last Updated: April 1, 2026