Request for Information: Gauging Investor Interest in the Development and Commercialization of Subsurface Energy Technologies

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FOA number: DE-FOA-0003671
Download the full request for information: NETL Exchange
 

Background Information

On September 3, 2026, the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Hydrocarbons and Geothermal Energy Office (HGEO) U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Hydrocarbons and Geothermal Energy Office (HGEO), in collaboration with the Office of Technology Commercialization, announced a Request for Information (RFI) seeking stakeholder input on opportunities to better connect private capital and public-private partnership programs with coal, oil and gas, and geothermal energy technologies. 

The RFI supports President Trump’s American Energy Dominance agenda by strengthening connections among American energy innovators, industry and private capital to accelerate commercialization, lower energy costs, strengthen reliability and energy security, and power American prosperity. This effort builds on the recently announced Small Business Investment Company-Energy (SBIC-E) Initiative, announced by U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright and SBA Administrator Kelly Loeffler to mobilize private capital for American energy technologies and businesses.

DOE is soliciting feedback from investors, industry, academia, research laboratories, government agencies and other stakeholders to better understand investor interest, barriers and opportunities related to the development and commercialization of subsurface energy technologies. 

Areas of Interest

This request for information opportunity has three areas of interest: 

Coal

  • Modernization, reliability, and life extension of coal-fired power plants
  • Critical minerals and materials recovery from coal and coal combustion residuals
  • Advanced mining and extraction technologies
  • Non-fuel coal-to-materials and product conversion
  • Advanced electric generation designs with improved fuel and operational flexibility
  • Improved emissions control systems
  • Advanced sensors and controls for power plant optimization and efficiency
  • Integrated energy storage, energy-water campuses and data center integration opportunities

Oil and Gas

  • Modular liquefied natural gas component and process technologies
  • Midstream sensors, materials and inspection technologies
  • Produced water treatment, analytics, reuse and critical mineral recovery
  • Wellbore integrity and intervention technologies
  • Pipeline and compression reliability
  • Enhanced recovery diagnostics and field optimization
  • Remote operations, field electrification, sensors, controls and AI-enabled technologies

Geothermal

  • Advanced exploration and reservoir characterization
  • Next-generation power plant and surface-facility performance
  • High-temperature drilling and well construction
  • Reservoir stimulation and sustainability
  • Commercial deployment and grid integration innovations

Key Dates

RFI Issue Date:09/03/2026
Submission Deadline for RFI Responses:10/05/2026 at 5:00 PM ET

Additional Information

Last Updated: September 3, 2026