Emerging CO2 Storage Technologies: Optimizing Performance Through Minimization of Seismicity Risks and Monitoring Caprock Integrity | DE FOA 0002401

Opportunity Information: Apply for DE FOA 0002401

The Department of Energy, through the National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL), issued a Notice of Intent (NOI) for a forthcoming Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) numbered DE-FOA-0002401, titled "Emerging CO2 Storage Technologies: Optimizing Performance Through Minimization of Seismicity Risks and Monitoring Caprock Integrity." This notice is strictly informational: DOE was not requesting feedback, and it was not accepting full applications at the time of the notice. The contents of the NOI were also explicitly subject to change before any formal FOA release.

The overall purpose of the planned opportunity is tied to strengthening the safety and reliability of geologic carbon dioxide storage at large scale. In practical terms, DOE signaled interest in research and development that improves how storage sites are evaluated before injection begins, how risks are forecast when CO2 is injected at high volumes and rates, and how operators can detect and measure any unexpected movement of CO2 or native subsurface fluids that could compromise containment. The emphasis is on preventing or minimizing induced seismicity that could be felt at the surface and on verifying that the caprock (the low-permeability sealing formation over the injection reservoir) continues to act as an effective barrier to upward migration.

DOE indicated two anticipated Areas of Interest (AOIs). The first AOI, "Fault Detection, Characterization, and Hazard Assessment," focuses on the site characterization stage, when developers are deciding whether a geologic formation is suitable for storage and how injection should be designed. The intent is to encourage tools and methods that can better detect faults that might not be obvious from standard datasets, more accurately characterize fault properties relevant to slip potential, and support assessments of the likelihood of induced seismicity during large-scale CO2 injection. Conceptually, this area is about reducing uncertainty: improving the ability to identify which structures matter, understanding how they may respond to pressure changes, and translating that knowledge into hazard assessments that can inform site selection, well placement, injection rate strategies, and operational safeguards.

The second AOI, "Monitoring for CO2 and Native Fluid Migration Through and Above the Main Caprock Layers," targets the operational and verification side of storage projects. Here the goal is to develop or enhance monitoring approaches capable of identifying, locating, and quantifying unpredicted migration of CO2 and/or native fluids through the main caprock layer or into overlying zones. This reflects a key challenge in carbon storage: even when models and characterization suggest robust sealing, operators still need sensitive monitoring methods to confirm containment and to provide early warning if fluids begin moving in unexpected pathways. The NOI highlights not just detecting migration, but being able to attribute where it is occurring and estimate how much is moving, which is important for risk management and for demonstrating storage integrity.

From an administrative standpoint, the opportunity was categorized as discretionary funding, with anticipated awards to be made via cooperative agreements, indicating DOE expected substantial involvement in project direction or oversight if the FOA were released. The funding activity category spans energy, environment, natural resources, and science and technology R&D, and it is associated with CFDA number 81.089. Eligibility was listed as unrestricted, meaning a broad range of entity types could potentially apply, subject to any additional clarifications in the full FOA text. The NOI record shows a creation date of November 16, 2020, and an original closing date of December 11, 2020, though as an NOI it mainly served to alert the community ahead of a possible solicitation. An award ceiling of 2 is listed in the source data, but the notice itself did not present an active application process or confirmed award count at that stage.

In short, DE-FOA-0002401, as previewed by this NOI, was aimed at advancing emerging technologies and methods that make geologic CO2 storage more predictable and secure by (1) improving fault detection and induced seismicity hazard assessment before and during injection and (2) strengthening monitoring for any unexpected CO2 or brine movement through and above the caprock to protect containment and maintain storage integrity.

• The Department of Energy, National Energy Technology Laboratory in the energy, environment, natural resources, science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Emerging CO2 Storage Technologies: Optimizing Performance Through Minimization of Seismicity Risks and Monitoring Caprock Integrity" 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 Nov 16, 2020.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Dec 11, 2020. (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 $2.00 in funding.
• 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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