Regional Initiative to Accelerate Carbon Capture Utilization and Storage | DE FOA 0002000

Opportunity Information: Apply for DE FOA 0002000

The Department of Energy, through the National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL), released a discretionary funding opportunity titled "Regional Initiative to Accelerate Carbon Capture Utilization and Storage" (Funding Opportunity Number DE-FOA-0002000). The program is structured as a cooperative agreement, which typically means DOE/NETL expects to be actively involved during the life of the project rather than simply issuing a grant and stepping back. It sits under CFDA 81.089 and supports energy-focused research, development, and related science and technology work aimed at accelerating real-world deployment of carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS) in the United States.

At its core, this opportunity is designed to move CCUS from isolated projects toward scalable, commercial deployment by tackling practical, on-the-ground issues that can slow or block progress. The emphasis is on onshore regions and the specific storage and transport challenges that show up when trying to build out a functioning CCUS system across a broader area. In other words, the intent is not just to study carbon capture in the lab, but to help regions solve the technical and infrastructure bottlenecks that determine whether captured CO2 can actually be moved, stored, and managed safely and efficiently at commercial scale.

Projects funded under this announcement are expected to concentrate on four main areas. First is addressing key technical challenges, meaning applicants should identify the major scientific or engineering barriers in their region related to CO2 storage and transport and propose work that directly reduces those barriers. Second is facilitating data collection, sharing, and analysis, reflecting the idea that CCUS deployment depends heavily on high-quality subsurface, pipeline, and operational data, and that regions benefit when data are standardized and accessible to stakeholders who need them for planning and decision-making. Third is evaluating regional infrastructure, which includes assessing the readiness, gaps, and potential build-out needs for CO2 transport and storage networks, such as pipeline corridors, hubs, storage sites, and integration with industrial CO2 sources. Fourth is promoting regional technology transfer, which points to moving knowledge and best practices out of research settings and into the hands of operators, planners, regulators, and other regional stakeholders who can implement solutions and replicate successful approaches.

Eligibility for this opportunity is listed as unrestricted, meaning it is broadly open to many kinds of organizations, with the caveat that applicants still need to comply with any specific eligibility clarifications described in the full announcement text. This generally supports participation from universities, private companies, national laboratories, state and local entities, nonprofits, and other qualified organizations, often in partnership, since regional CCUS deployment typically requires collaboration across industry, academia, and public-sector stakeholders.

In terms of funding scale and timing, DOE/NETL anticipated making about four awards, with an award ceiling of $7,000,000 per project. The opportunity was created on April 1, 2019, and originally closed on June 3, 2019. Overall, the funding announcement signals DOE's interest in regionally grounded efforts that can reduce uncertainty, improve coordination, and accelerate the build-out of CO2 storage and transport capabilities, ultimately making commercial CCUS more feasible and more attractive to deploy at scale.

• The Department of Energy, National Energy Technology Laboratory in the energy, science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Regional Initiative to Accelerate Carbon Capture Utilization and Storage" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 81.089.
• This funding opportunity was created on Apr 01, 2019.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Jun 03, 2019. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $7,000,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 4 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Unrestricted (i.e., open to any type of entity above), subject to any clarification in text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility.

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