The overall objective of this funding opportunity (FOA) is to accelerate the equitable and environmentally responsible deployment of storage-based carbon management (CM) projects in specific geologic basins by establishing partnerships comprised of participants with extensive technical, managerial, regulatory, and business expertise specific to carbon transport and storage. Each partnership will have the capability to provide project developers, regulators, community advocacy groups, labor organizations, and other affected stakeholders with objective, unbiased technical assistance within a region defined by a specific geologic basin in which multiple proposed carbon storage facilities are or will be located. For the purposes of this FOA, a carbon storage facility consists of:

1. one or more storage reservoirs, with permeability and porosity demonstrated to allow sufficient injection and storage of CO2; and
2. one or more impermeable seals, which overlay the reservoir(s) and serve as barriers to upward migration of stored CO2.

Projects selected under this FOA will set up multidisciplinary partnerships as a resource for stakeholders in their efforts to address the challenges within a specific geologic basin region. Applicants will be expected to define the geographical boundaries of the proposed on- or offshore basin, which may include basins where dedicated CO2 storage in depleted oil and gas fields or in naturally occurring CO2 reservoirs may occur.

Applicants may also define sub-basins within the basins in which their technical assistance activities would be directed. Applications that focus on technical assistance in basins where CO2 storage occurs exclusively or primarily in saline reservoirs without hydrocarbon production are specifically encouraged. However, applications will be accepted for work in basins that includes projects involving dedicated CO2 storage in depleted oil and gas fields, CO2-Enhanced Oil Recovery in combination with stacked dedicated storage of CO2, or in naturally occurring CO2 reservoirs or geologic domes, provided that the technical assistance (a) is directed exclusively to the transition from hydrocarbon production to dedicated CO2 storage operations and associated post injection site care; and (b) is not provided to directly help operators improve hydrocarbon production.

Applicants will also define the specific key stakeholders and commercial interests within their proposed basinal region and the types of assistance they will provide to these stakeholders.

Technical assistance provided by award Recipients should emphasize the following activities:

• Expanding and strengthening technical assistance to community stakeholders to raise technical understanding of CCS as well as associated benefits and risks, and to build a stronger social sciences capacity and expertise.

• Helping to train the next generation of technical professionals in the CCS field by assisting in the development of education and training programs at regional universities, trade schools, and/or within labor organizations’ training programs. This may include development of curriculum for full college-level degrees in carbon storage or management and/or vocational training in welding, drilling, etc. specific to CO2 transport and storage.

• Continuing carbon storage resource assessments to support project developers, communities, resource managers and permitting agencies to maintain efficient development of these resources. This may include gathering of existing information to build or enhance database and geographic information systems and models to support stakeholder groups. This does not include field work such as drilling, well testing, core collection or analysis; seismic or other geophysical data acquisition, interpretation, or analysis; etc.

• Identifying value-added crosscutting opportunities such as recovery of geothermal energy and critical minerals, and discovery of hydrogen and energy storage resources.

• Technical assistance should focus on the following:

• Project management and data sharing plans. Applicants will provide advice, data, and apply best practices for project development, regulatory compliance, community engagement, tax incentives, and other areas as necessary to support the most responsible and equitable deployment of multiple carbon storage projects within a basin.
• Integrated carbon management strategies. Provide technical assistance to stakeholders that will support the deployment of multiple projects across the basin and the responsible management the basin. Applicants may engage with CarbonSAFE projects and projects supported by DOE’s Office of Clean Energy Demonstrations that have a geologic carbon storage component.
• Monitoring, Reporting and Verification (MRV) plan development. Advise on the application of best practices in MRV planning for basin-scale monitoring of multiple storage projects, with a focus on acquiring information of greatest interest to affected communities.
• Pore and pressure space management and optimization. Advise on the use of best practice in the planning, development, and operation of projects to effectively manage subsurface pressures.
• Basinal/local impact assessments to better inform storage resource management strategies. Provide technical assistance on basinal or local impact performance/impact modeling and forecasting.
• Legal and regulatory issues affecting deployment (intra and interstate). Applicants will be required to work across permitting and resource agencies within the boundaries of the basin/sub-basin to facilitate sharing of best practices and encourage engagement with project developers and communities.
• Carbon transport, planning, and safety assistance – Where appropriate the applicant may provide assistance in best practices, education, and engagement focused on the planning of carbon transport infrastructure necessary for project and basin scale development of carbon storage.

Work performed under this FOA may also be supportive of ongoing activities under the DOE CarbonSAFE Initiative:

• DE-FOA-0001999 (CarbonSAFE Phase III)
• DE-FOA-0002610 (CarbonSAFE Phase II); and/or the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL):
• Section 41004a – $937 million for large-scale CCUS pilots
• Section 41004b – $2.5 billion for demonstration scale carbon capture projects
• Section 40308 – $3.5 billion for regional DAC (Direct Air Capture) hubs
• Section 40303 – $100 million for FEED (Front-End Engineering Design) studies for CO2 transport systems (DE-FOA-0002730)
• Section 40304 – $2.1 billion available in loan guarantees for CO2 transport infrastructure
• Section 40305 – $2.5 billion for Carbon Storage Validation and Testing (DE-FOA-0002711, CarbonSAFE Phases II, III, III.5, and IV)
• Section 40314 – $8 billion for hydrogen hubs including fossil-based H2 with carbon management.