The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), through its Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management (FECM), has announced the *Undocumented Orphaned Well Characterization and Remediation* funding opportunity, aimed at addressing environmental hazards posed by undocumented orphaned wells (UOWs). These wells are unmonitored, abandoned sites that may emit methane and other harmful substances, posing risks to air, water, and ecosystems. This program, aligned with DOE’s Methane Mitigation Technologies Program, focuses on developing technologies that reduce emissions from UOWs to meet national decarbonization goals by 2030. The DOE seeks proposals to improve tools for locating, characterizing, and remediating UOWs, with specific support for innovative approaches in plugging and abandonment (P&A) techniques, wellbore characterization, and long-term emissions monitoring.

The funding opportunity allocates a total of $15 million across three key research areas (Areas of Interest, or AOIs) over three years, with an 80/20 cost-sharing requirement. The areas are: (1) *Advanced Remediation Techniques for UOW Boreholes* ($10.2 million), focusing on innovative materials and P&A methods to effectively seal wells; (2) *UOW Wellbore Characterization* ($2.4 million), targeting non-invasive, surface-based technologies to assess well conditions; and (3) *Long-Term UOW Monitoring* ($2.4 million), promoting sustainable methane monitoring solutions for environmental impact tracking. Each project is expected to advance the technology readiness level (TRL) from an initial TRL 4 or 5 to TRL 6.

Eligible applicants are encouraged to submit field-ready technologies for real-world validation. Applications must establish a field-testing site in collaboration with an industry, government, or regulatory partner, with a letter of commitment confirming site access required at submission. Proposals should outline a Project Management Plan (PMP) detailing the technical, schedule, and budget baselines, roles and responsibilities of team members, and strategies for addressing any challenges or barriers to successful field deployment.

The application must include detailed economic assessments comparing proposed technologies with existing commercial options in terms of operating costs, labor requirements, and scalability. Proposed solutions should demonstrate a zero-emission profile in line with federal decarbonization objectives, and applicants should provide environmental impact assessments for air, surface water, and groundwater. Additionally, a Statement of Project Objectives (SOPO) should outline project milestones, tasks, and expected outcomes.

Applicants must complete registrations with SAM, Grants.gov, and FedConnect.net before submitting their applications. The deadline for full applications is November 13, 2024, at 5:00 p.m. ET, with award notifications expected by February 2025 and project starts anticipated in June 2025. Proposals that exceed the DOE’s maximum funding share of $3.4 million (AOI 1) or $1.2 million (AOI 2 and AOI 3) will be deemed non-compliant. Non-responsive applications, such as those lacking field-testing commitments or proposing technologies below TRL 4, will not be reviewed.

For additional guidance, applicants should refer to the full FOA document, ensuring compliance with DOE requirements on technical, economic, and environmental factors to enhance the efficacy of UOW remediation efforts.