Subsurface Stress and Lost Circulation in Geothermal Drilling | DE FOA 0002083

Opportunity Information: Apply for DE FOA 0002083

The Department of Energy (DOE), through its Geothermal Technologies Office (GTO) and administered by the DOE Golden Field Office, released the funding opportunity announcement (FOA) DE-FOA-0002083 titled "Subsurface Stress and Lost Circulation in Geothermal Drilling." The program is focused on reducing the cost and risk of geothermal development by funding early-stage research and development that tackles two closely related technical barriers: (1) improving the industrys ability to understand and characterize the subsurface state of stress in geothermal settings, and (2) improving the ability to prevent, mitigate, and manage lost circulation events during drilling. The overall intent is to make geothermal drilling more predictable, more successful, and less expensive, which in turn supports broader goals like improved domestic energy affordability and a stronger geothermal project pipeline.

A central theme of the FOA is that poor or incomplete understanding of in situ stress conditions can drive major costs throughout a geothermal projects lifecycle. Stress information influences where and how wells are drilled, how fractures behave, and how reservoirs evolve once production begins. By improving stress-state knowledge, developers can better target wells, increase drilling success rates, and improve long-term reservoir sustainability. The FOA highlights that well targeting and reservoir sustainability are two primary cost drivers, and it positions better stress characterization as a way to reduce costs not only during drilling but also during field development and ongoing operations.

The second major barrier addressed is lost circulation, meaning the unintended loss of drilling fluids into surrounding rock formations while drilling. Lost circulation is especially common in geothermal drilling because wells are often drilled into highly fractured and altered rock, the same types of zones that can be attractive for geothermal production but problematic for maintaining circulation. The FOA notes that lost circulation events can represent roughly 20 percent of the costs for exploratory wells and reservoir development, making it one of the most significant contributors to expensive well construction. Projects responsive to this FOA are expected to advance methods and technologies that help operators anticipate where losses are likely, detect and diagnose losses quickly, and deploy more effective mitigation strategies to limit downtime, materials use, and overall well cost.

From a funding and award structure perspective, DOE stated it expected to provide up to $7 million total across the program, with an expectation of about six awards. Individual awards were capped at an award ceiling of $3.5 million. The funding instrument type is a cooperative agreement, which typically means DOE anticipates substantial involvement during the project period (for example, coordination on milestones, reviews, and technical direction consistent with the FOA). The opportunity falls under the Energy funding activity category and is associated with CFDA number 81.087. Eligibility is described as unrestricted, meaning it is generally open to any type of entity, subject to any additional clarifications included in the FOA text.

Operationally, applications were required to be submitted through the EERE eXCHANGE portal (https://eere-exchange.energy.gov), which enforces hard deadlines by disabling submission controls after the deadline passes. For this FOA, the announcement was created on March 28, 2019, and the original closing date was June 7, 2019, with submissions due by 5:00 pm Eastern time. The FOA also emphasized process details for applicants who run into submission issues: applicants experiencing technical difficulties before the deadline were instructed to contact the eXCHANGE helpdesk (exchangehelp@hq.doe.gov), and those whose technical issues resulted in a late submission were likewise directed to contact the helpdesk for assistance. Questions and answers were managed through an FAQ log referenced in the FOA documents within eXCHANGE.

In practical terms, this grant opportunity was designed to sponsor early-stage R&D that pushes the state of the art in geothermal drilling diagnostics and interventions, specifically around stress characterization and lost circulation control. The expected outcome is a set of advances that improve drilling efficiency, reduce nonproductive time, lower the financial risk of exploratory and development wells, and strengthen the technical foundation for sustainable geothermal reservoirs over time.

• The Department of Energy, Golden Field Office in the energy sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Subsurface Stress and Lost Circulation in Geothermal Drilling" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 81.087.
• This funding opportunity was created on Mar 28, 2019.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Jun 07, 2019 All submissions due by 500 pm Eastern time through EERE Exchange at https://eere-Exchange.energy.gov, EEREaposs online application portal.. (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 $3,500,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 6 candidate(s).
• 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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