Opportunity Information: Apply for DE FOA 0003256
The Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) Methane Emissions Reduction Program Oil and Gas Methane Monitoring and Mitigation funding opportunity (DE-FOA-0003256) is a Department of Energy effort administered through the National Energy Technology Laboratory. It is designed to cut methane emissions tied to oil and natural gas production, processing, and transportation, and it fits under DOEs Methane Emissions Mitigation and Quantification Program within the Office of Resource Sustainability. The long-term policy goal behind the program is ambitious: push the industry toward eliminating methane emissions from carbon-based fuel supply chains by 2030. The FOA emphasizes that meaningful mitigation depends on knowing, with high confidence, where methane is coming from, how much is being emitted, and under what operating conditions, because methane releases can be both intentional (for example, venting or planned operational events) and fugitive (leaks and unintended emissions). It explicitly recognizes that quantification needs to cover the full natural gas infrastructure, including low-producing and marginal conventional wells that may be widely distributed, aging, or harder to monitor consistently.
At its core, this FOA is trying to fund two things at once: real-world emissions reductions and the measurement systems needed to prove those reductions are real, durable, and scalable. DOE is looking for projects that mitigate methane from marginal conventional wells (MCWs) and other oil and gas assets while also accelerating commercialization, scale-up, and field application of innovative methane reduction technologies. In parallel, the FOA supports advancing the characterization and reduction of methane through multi-scale, measurement-informed data collection and analysis. That multi-scale framing matters because methane can be assessed at different levels, such as component-level measurements, site-level surveys, field- or basin-level monitoring, and broader regional observations. The intention is to build an empirical, state-of-the-industry understanding of mitigation opportunities and operational performance across US production and delivery regions, using data collected under real operating conditions rather than relying only on modeling or limited pilot studies.
The public value case is also a major theme. The announcement frames methane mitigation not only as a greenhouse gas reduction strategy, but also as an environmental health and community engagement priority, with a specific callout that many impacted areas are disadvantaged or frontline communities. That means DOE is signaling interest in projects that do not just deploy technology, but also generate usable information, improve transparency around emissions, and support better outcomes for communities located near oil and gas operations and infrastructure.
From a funding mechanics standpoint, the opportunity is a discretionary program using cooperative agreements, which typically means substantial federal involvement during the project period (for example, DOE input on technical direction, milestones, reporting, and review). Eligibility is listed as unrestricted, indicating a wide range of entity types can apply, depending on FOA requirements (often including industry, technology developers, universities, national labs, nonprofits, and state or local entities). The FOA is associated with CFDA 81.089 and falls under the Energy, Environment, and Natural Resources activity category. The original closing date is August 26, 2024. DOE anticipates making around 38 awards, and the award ceiling is listed as $300,000,000, which signals that at least some awards could be very large, likely for multi-partner demonstrations, large-scale monitoring networks, or programs that combine deployment with extensive measurement and verification.
Finally, Modification 000001 is an administrative update intended to clarify parts of the FOA rather than change its overall purpose. The modification updates Section I.B. to provide clarifications about objectives and background related to a specific area of interest (AOI 3b), clarifies what activities are not of interest under AOI 1 (including subareas 1a, 1b, and 1c) and AOI 3 (including 3a and 3b), and clarifies how well site and field test locations relate to AOI 2 (including 2a, 2b, and 2c). In practical terms, that kind of revision usually aims to reduce ambiguity for applicants about what DOE wants to fund, what it does not want to fund, and how to interpret requirements for field sites and testing locations when proposing technology demonstrations or measurement campaigns.Apply for DE FOA 0003256
- The National Energy Technology Laboratory in the energy, environment, natural resources sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) – Methane Emissions Reduction Program Oil and Gas Methane Monitoring and Mitigation" 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 2024-06-21.
- Applicants must submit their applications by 2024-08-26. (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 $300,000,000.00 in funding.
- The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 38 candidate(s).
- Eligible applicants include: Unrestricted.
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What is this funding opportunity?
This is the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) Methane Emissions Reduction Program funding opportunity for Oil and Gas Methane Monitoring and Mitigation (FOA number DE-FOA-0003256). It is a U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) effort administered through the National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL).
What is the main purpose of DE-FOA-0003256?
The FOA is intended to reduce methane emissions associated with oil and natural gas production, processing, and transportation, while also supporting the measurement and quantification systems needed to verify those reductions under real operating conditions.
Which DOE program office is this associated with?
The opportunity sits within DOE's Methane Emissions Mitigation and Quantification Program under the Office of Resource Sustainability.
What long-term policy goal does the FOA connect to?
The long-term goal described is to push the oil and gas industry toward eliminating methane emissions from carbon-based fuel supply chains by 2030.
Why does the FOA emphasize methane measurement and quantification?
The FOA states that meaningful mitigation depends on knowing, with high confidence, where methane emissions originate, how much is being emitted, and under what operating conditions. This is because methane releases can be intentional (such as venting or planned operational events) or fugitive (leaks and unintended emissions).
What types of emissions does the FOA acknowledge?
The FOA explicitly recognizes both intentional emissions (for example, venting or planned events) and fugitive emissions (leaks and unintended releases).
What parts of the oil and gas system are in scope?
The FOA frames the need to quantify emissions across the full natural gas infrastructure, including production, processing, and transportation. It also calls out low-producing and marginal conventional wells that may be widely distributed, aging, or harder to monitor consistently.
What are "marginal conventional wells (MCWs)" in the context of this FOA?
MCWs are specifically highlighted as a priority for methane mitigation. The FOA notes these wells may be low-producing, widely distributed, aging, or difficult to monitor consistently, making them important targets for both emissions reduction and improved measurement approaches.
What is the FOA trying to fund, at a high level?
At a high level, the FOA is trying to fund two outcomes at once: (1) real-world methane emissions reductions and (2) the measurement systems needed to prove those reductions are real, durable, scalable, and based on empirical data collected during actual operations.
Does DOE want technology deployment only, or measurement only?
Based on the FOA summary provided, DOE is looking for projects that pair mitigation with measurement and analysis. The emphasis is on emissions reductions plus the monitoring and quantification needed to credibly verify performance and enable scale-up.
What is meant by "multi-scale" measurement?
The FOA describes methane assessment across multiple scales, including component-level measurements, site-level surveys, field- or basin-level monitoring, and broader regional observations. This multi-scale framing is intended to build a more complete understanding of emissions sources and mitigation performance.
Why is "real operating conditions" data important in this FOA?
The FOA indicates an intent to build an empirical, state-of-the-industry understanding using data collected under real operating conditions, rather than relying only on modeling or limited pilot studies.
What kinds of project outcomes is DOE signaling interest in?
DOE signals interest in projects that mitigate methane (including from MCWs and other oil and gas assets), accelerate commercialization and scale-up of innovative methane reduction technologies, and advance characterization and reduction of methane through measurement-informed data collection and analysis.
Does the FOA mention commercialization and scaling?
Yes. The FOA references accelerating commercialization, scale-up, and field application of innovative methane reduction technologies as part of what DOE is looking to support.
How does community impact factor into the FOA?
The FOA frames methane mitigation as not only a greenhouse gas reduction strategy, but also an environmental health and community engagement priority. It specifically notes that many impacted areas are disadvantaged or frontline communities, signaling interest in projects that improve transparency and outcomes for communities near oil and gas operations and infrastructure.
What does the FOA say about transparency and public value?
The FOA emphasizes public value by highlighting the need for usable information, improved transparency around emissions, and better outcomes for communities located near oil and gas facilities and infrastructure.
What type of federal award instrument is expected?
The opportunity is described as a discretionary program using cooperative agreements.
What does it mean that awards are "cooperative agreements"?
In this FOA summary, cooperative agreements are associated with substantial federal involvement during the project period, such as DOE input on technical direction, milestones, reporting, and review.
Who is eligible to apply?
Eligibility is listed as unrestricted, indicating a wide range of entity types may be able to apply (subject to the FOA's detailed requirements). The summary notes this often includes industry, technology developers, universities, national labs, nonprofits, and state or local entities.
What is the CFDA number associated with this opportunity?
The FOA is associated with CFDA 81.089.
What is the activity category for this opportunity?
The activity category is Energy, Environment, and Natural Resources.
What is the application deadline?
The original closing date listed is August 26, 2024.
How many awards does DOE anticipate making?
DOE anticipates making around 38 awards.
What is the maximum award size (award ceiling)?
The award ceiling is listed as $300,000,000, indicating that some awards could be very large, potentially supporting multi-partner demonstrations, large-scale monitoring networks, or combined deployment and measurement/verification efforts.
What is Modification 000001?
Modification 000001 is described as an administrative update intended to clarify parts of the FOA, rather than change its overall purpose.
What parts of the FOA were clarified by Modification 000001?
The modification updates Section I.B. to clarify objectives and background related to a specific area of interest (AOI 3b), clarifies which activities are not of interest under AOI 1 (including subareas 1a, 1b, and 1c) and AOI 3 (including 3a and 3b), and clarifies how well site and field test locations relate to AOI 2 (including 2a, 2b, and 2c).
Did Modification 000001 change what the program is trying to achieve?
Based on the information provided, no. The modification is characterized as clarifying language and reducing ambiguity for applicants, rather than changing the overall purpose of the FOA.
Why do AOI clarifications matter to applicants?
The summary explains that these clarifications are meant to reduce ambiguity about what DOE wants to fund, what it does not want to fund, and how applicants should interpret requirements related to field sites and testing locations for demonstrations or measurement campaigns.
Does the FOA explicitly mention different levels of monitoring (component, site, regional)?
Yes. The FOA explicitly references multiple scales of methane assessment, including component-level, site-level, field/basin-level, and regional observations.
What kinds of assets are eligible targets for mitigation projects?
The FOA description includes marginal conventional wells and other oil and gas assets, with a broader focus on emissions across production, processing, and transportation infrastructure.
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