On September 1, DOE announced the award of nearly $72 million in federal funding to support the development and advancement of carbon capture technologies under two funding research and develop (R&D) opportunity announcements. The first announcement awarded $51 million to nine new carbon capture projects for coal and natural gas power plants and industrial sources. The second announcement awarded a total of $21 million to eighteen projects for technologies that remove carbon dioxide (CO2) from the atmosphere, a process known as direct air capture.

This R&D will build on the work started under my predecessor, Secretary Rick Perry. In 2017, Secretary Perry tasked the National Petroleum Council to perform two studies, one on U.S Oil and Natural Gas Transportation Infrastructure, and one on Carbon Capture, Utilization and Storage (CCUS), both of which were released in December 2019.

The CCUS study’s overarching goal was to define potential pathways leading to its deployment at commercial scale, with the understanding that achievement of this objective for the United States would promote economic growth and prosperity, protect the environment, and enhance our energy security.

This report drew on a diverse set of stakeholders, involving over 300 participants from 110 different organizations, including 17 international members. Over half of the participants are employed by organizations outside of the oil and natural gas industry.