DOE Begins New Competitions for Sequestration Ideas With Call for National Lab-Private Sector Projects

Call is 1st of Two Planned for Next Few Weeks

The U.S. Department of Energy is encouraging industrial and academic researchers to team with the nation's national laboratories to explore future possibilities for capturing and sequestering greenhouse gases.

In a call issued this week to its national laboratories, the Energy Department said it was interested in:

1. project ideas that could lead to new or improved ways to separate and capture greenhouse gases and inject them safely into geologic formations, and

2. applied research proposals in topics ranging from ways to integrate trees, vegetation and soils into carbon control strategies to novel chemical, biological and carbon recycling concepts.

For projects in the first category -- carbon separation, capture and geologic sequestration - the department is requiring that the research team include external partners from industry or universities in addition to multiple national laboratories.

For projects in the second category, the department is encouraging, but not requiring, private sector participation.

The department, through its Office of Fossil Energy and Federal Energy Technology Center, plans to make from $1 million to $3 million available in FY 2000 to fund the first year of winning projects. Depending upon the availability of funding, the projects could be continued for one to two additional years.

The department is asking the laboratories to submit their proposals by November 1, 1999.

The request is the first of two carbon sequestration competitions the Energy Department's Fossil Energy Office will begin in the next few weeks. In September, a second solicitation will be issued directly to industry, academia, small and large businesses, and research institutes for additional projects that could lead to affordable ways to sequester greenhouse gases.

The department has set a research goal of developing affordable technologies - in the range of $10-15 per ton of carbon - for capturing and sequestering carbon gases. The long-range exploratory research effort could lead to new options for reducing the buildup of greenhouse gases that would be available in the post-2015 time frame.

The call for national laboratory proposals asks for project ideas in the following subject areas:

Greenhouse Gas Separation/Capture and Geologic Sequestration

In this category, DOE is looking for projects that can reduce the costs of capturing and separating carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases, especially from the gases emitted by large power plants or other energy intensive operations. "One box" concepts that combine greenhouse gas capture with the reduction of other air pollutants are especially desirable.

Also as part of this category, the department will consider pilot projects for sequestering carbon in geologic formations. Initial emphasis will be on formations such as depleting oil and gas reservoirs and deep unmineable coal seams, followed closely by deep saline/brine formations. The department will also consider ideas for converting carbon gases into minerals.

Applied Research on Science-Based Greenhouse Gas Sequestration Options

The second category is meant to attract novel ideas and concepts over a wide range of possible sequestration approaches. For example, the department is open to proposals that would show how terrestrial sequestration options - trees, vegetation and soils - might be integrated with the production and use of fossil fuels. Other areas of interest include studies of ocean storage, advanced chemical, biological, reuse and other novel concepts, and ideas for separation and geologic storage that are beyond the scope of projects requested in the first category.

A copy of the Program Announcement to DOE National Laboratories - Greenhouse Gas Sequestration Applied Research is available from the Federal Energy Technology Center web site at www.fetc.doe.gov. [Select Business, then National Lab Call.]

-End of TechLine-

For more information, contact:
Otis Mills, Jr., DOE Federal Energy Technology Center, 412/892-5890, e-mail: mills@fetc.doe.gov

Technical contact:
Charles Schmidt, DOE Federal Energy Technology Center, 412/386-6090, e-mail: schmidt@fetc.doe.gov