Request for Information - Gauging Investor Interest in the Development and Commercialization of Subsurface Energy Technologies

The U.S. Department of Energy Hydrocarbons and Geothermal Energy Office, or HGEO, issued Request for Information DE-FOA-0003671, Gauging Investor Interest in the Development and Commercialization of Subsurface Energy Technologies. HGEO works to advance technologies associated with American hydrocarbon and geothermal resources, including coal, oil and gas, and geothermal energy. The office describes its role as supporting affordable, reliable, and secure energy through applied innovation and U.S. energy leadership. This notice is a Request for Information only. It is not a Notice of Funding Opportunity, Request for Proposals, or application for financial assistance or financial incentives. HGEO will not pay respondents for information submitted, and no project will be supported as a result of this RFI. The purpose of the RFI is to gauge investor interest in the development and commercialization of subsurface energy technologies and to gather information that can inform government planning and strategy development. DOE is particularly interested in connecting private capital and public-private partnership programs with industry opportunities while providing HGEO technical expertise across coal, oil and gas, and geothermal program areas. The request seeks feedback from capital providers such as venture capital firms, angel investors, and financial institutions; adjacent organizations such as incubators, accelerators, and venture studios; and industry, academia, research laboratories, government agencies, and other stakeholders. The broader objective is to understand approaches that may help technologies move through the gap between laboratory validation and commercial viability. Technology areas identified for consideration span oil and gas, geothermal, and coal. Oil and gas examples include modular liquefied natural gas technology, midstream sensors and materials, produced water treatment and analytics, enhanced oil recovery diagnostics, edge computing and artificial intelligence, remote power generation, wellbore integrity, pipeline and compression reliability, and field electrification. Geothermal areas include exploration and reservoir characterization, power plant and surface facility performance, high-temperature drilling and well construction, reservoir stimulation and sustainability, and commercial deployment and scale-up. Coal areas include power plant modernization, critical mineral and material recovery, advanced mining and extraction, non-fuel coal conversion, advanced electric generation, emissions controls, sensors and controls, waste stream treatment, energy storage, energy-water campuses, and integration with data centers. The coal list is illustrative rather than exhaustive. The RFI contains separate questions for capital providers and investors and for technology providers and startups. Capital providers are asked about Small Business Investment Company program participation and fund structures, risk tolerance and Technology Readiness Levels, technical validation and economic information required before investment, expected returns and payback periods, due diligence, risk assessment, co-investment, matching funds, off-take agreements, and blended finance. Technology providers are asked to identify their relevant HGEO topic area and Technology Readiness Level, provide quantitative performance metrics, describe commercialization capital expenditure and operational expenditure requirements and timelines, identify government and private capital raised to date, explain barriers to traditional private investment, identify technical bottlenecks, and describe technical capabilities that investment could help them access. Respondents may answer all, some, or none of the questions, and a response addressing even a single question will be accepted for government review. The RFI also describes resources relevant to potential commercialization efforts. The National Energy Technology Laboratory has multidisciplinary expertise in engineering, physical sciences, earth sciences, economics, modeling, sensors, and technical project management, as well as research and development facilities in Morgantown, West Virginia; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; and Albany, Oregon. The notice also describes the Small Business Administration Small Business Investment Companies program, through which privately owned and managed investment funds can use SBA-guaranteed leverage to make equity and debt investments in qualifying U.S. small businesses. The RFI discusses Standard SBIC, Accrual SBIC, Non-Leveraged SBIC, and Reinvestor SBIC structures, but it does not establish a grant award, award amount, project budget, cost-share requirement, number of awards, or period of performance. Responses must be submitted electronically to DE-FOA-0003671@netl.doe.gov no later than 5:00 PM Eastern Time on October 5, 2026. The response must be attached to the email as a Microsoft Word docx document of no more than 10 pages using 12-point font and one-inch margins. Attachments exceeding 25MB should be compressed to support message delivery. At the beginning of the response, respondents must provide the company or institution name, company or institution contact, and the contacts address, phone number, and email address. Respondents claiming confidential business information should provide two well-marked copies, one marked confidential containing the information and one marked non-confidential with the confidential material deleted. DOE will determine the confidential status and treatment of submitted information. The RFI was issued September 3, 2026, and responses are due October 5, 2026. HGEO states that submitted information will be considered on a non-attribution basis for planning and strategy development. Responses may be reviewed by federal personnel as well as qualified non-federal personnel, support contractors, and private consultants subject to appropriate confidentiality obligations. HGEO is not obligated to acknowledge submissions, provide individual feedback, publish a compendium of responses, or take further action. A response does not constitute a binding commitment to develop or pursue any project or idea discussed. No award notification date, funding period, recurring response cycle, or future funding opportunity is established, and HGEO specifically states that it does not intend to issue a Notice of Funding Opportunity at this time.

For investors, identify specific fund structures, leverage levels, target sectors, Technology Readiness Levels, validation requirements, expected returns, payback periods, and deal structures rather than providing general expressions of interest. For technology providers, identify the applicable HGEO area, current Technology Readiness Level, quantitative performance metrics, commercialization capital requirements and timeline, capital raised to date, barriers to private investment, technical bottlenecks, and technical capabilities needed to overcome them.