DOE Commits $15 Million to Combat Methane Leaks from Orphaned Oil and Gas Wells

The U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management has announced up to $15 million in funding for research and development projects aimed at reducing methane emissions from undocumented orphaned oil and gas wells. The initiative supports the Biden-Harris administration's goal to cut methane emissions by 30% by 2030 compared to 2020 levels.

The focus is on advancing cost-effective technologies for characterization, advanced remediation and long-term monitoring of these wells. Undocumented orphaned wells, estimated to number in the hundreds of thousands in the U.S., are idle wells with unknown or insolvent operators that are not properly listed in regulatory inventories.

The funding opportunity aims to enhance well characterization technologies, improve sensors for measuring methane emissions and develop new remediation concepts and materials for efficient plugging and abandonment. Specific areas of focus include advanced remediation techniques for well boreholes, wellbore characterization without entry and cost-effective long-term monitoring technologies.

This research is crucial for addressing the significant contribution of methane to global warming and tackling the environmental and community impacts of legacy pollution from these wells.