Offshore Storage Resource Assessment | Apply Online

Opportunity Summary:

The Offshore Storage Resource Assessment funding opportunity (DE-FOA-0001246) was a National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) announcement under the U.S. Department of Energy program for Fossil Energy Research and Development (CFDA 81.089). It sought research and development projects focused on evaluating how much geologic carbon dioxide (CO2) storage capacity may exist in offshore subsurface settings, specifically targeting one or more offshore regions along the U.S. East Coast and/or the Gulf of Mexico. The core goal was to produce a Prospective Storage Resource assessment, meaning an estimate of the amount of CO2 that could potentially be stored in suitable underground formations, based on geologic evidence and interpretation rather than on building and testing new field infrastructure.

The work envisioned under this opportunity centered on two main classes of offshore storage targets: depleted oil and natural gas reservoirs and saline formations. Depleted hydrocarbon reservoirs are attractive because they have already trapped fluids for long geologic timeframes and often have some level of existing characterization from prior exploration and production. Saline formations, which are porous rock layers containing salty water (brine), can offer very large potential storage volumes and are commonly considered the backbone of long-term large-scale geologic storage options. By emphasizing both reservoir types, the FOA aimed to broaden the understanding of offshore storage potential across different geological settings and data availability conditions.

A key feature of the solicitation was its reliance on existing geologic and geophysical information rather than new data acquisition. Projects were expected to use materials such as well logs, well records, sample descriptions from existing or plugged and abandoned wells, available seismic surveys, and existing core samples. In practical terms, that implies an emphasis on compiling and integrating legacy datasets, interpreting subsurface structure and stratigraphy, estimating formation properties relevant to storage (for example, thickness, porosity, permeability, and seal integrity), and applying accepted methodologies to quantify prospective storage resources. The FOA language signals that the intended outputs were formal assessments grounded in available evidence, with uncertainty handled through analytical methods rather than expensive new offshore drilling or seismic campaigns.

The funding mechanism was a cooperative agreement, which typically indicates substantial federal involvement during the project period compared with a standard grant. The opportunity was categorized under Energy Science and Technology and other Research and Development and anticipated making around three awards, with an estimated total federal funding amount of $9,000,000. The announcement listed award floor and ceiling values as $0, which generally means the specific per-award size was not rigidly bounded in the summary and would be governed by the FOA details, the number of selected projects, and the strength and scope of proposed work.

Eligibility was described as unrestricted, meaning the competition was open to a wide range of applicant types (for example, universities, private companies, nonprofits, state entities, and consortia), subject to any additional clarifications in the full announcement. Cost sharing or matching was required, which is typical for many DOE applied R&D programs and means recipients needed to contribute a portion of total project costs from non-federal sources, increasing the likelihood of industry, academic, or state co-investment and signaling stakeholder commitment to the outcomes.

In terms of timing, the opportunity was posted on January 26, 2015, and closed on March 26, 2015, with an archive date of June 26, 2015. The additional information link referenced FedConnect, which at the time was commonly used for accessing federal opportunity documents and amendments. For access issues, the point of contact listed was Harolynne Blackwell, Contract Specialist at NETL, with phone number 412-386-4829 and email blackwel@netl.doe.gov.

Overall, this FOA was designed to strengthen the technical basis for offshore CO2 storage decisions by funding teams to assemble and interpret existing offshore subsurface data and produce credible, methodical estimates of prospective geologic storage resources in the East Coast and/or Gulf of Mexico offshore regions, while leveraging cost share and the cooperative agreement model to keep federal and recipient efforts closely aligned.

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