RFI DE-FOA-0003330 Carbon Transport Research, Development and Demonstration Consortium.docx

U.S. Department of Energy Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management

Request for Information (RFI)

DE-FOA-0003330

Title: Carbon Transport Research, Development & Demonstration Consortium Issue Date: September 18, 2024 Program Area: Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management (FECM); U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Purpose:

This is a Request for Information (RFI) issued by the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management (FECM). The intent of this RFI is to seek input about a potential Carbon Transport Research, Development & Demonstration (RD&D) Consortium that would be managed by FECM in partnership with the National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL).

This consortium is intended to identify and coordinate initiatives for carbon transport RD&D efforts (e.g., pipeline, rail, truck, ship, and barge transportation); facilitate communication among stakeholders; and compile and curate information in an open access platform.

The consortium is intended to comprise a range of U.S. based or incorporated individuals or organizations including but not limited to:

· Federal agencies

· Tribal governments or sovereign nations

· State agencies

· National laboratories

· Academia

· Non-government organizations

· Standards development organizations

· Industry owners and facility operators

· Service providers and equipment vendors

· Trade associations

· Manufacturing entities (e.g., pipe fabricators)

· Labor unions

Responses to this RFI will help to inform DOE’s decisions on the initiation of and interest in the consortium.

This is solely a request for information, for planning purposes, only; this RFI is not a Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA). DOE is not accepting applications to this RFI, nor will DOE reimburse any of respondents’ costs in preparing a response.

Background: In line with the goal of broad stakeholder engagement and its 2022 Strategic Vision,[footnoteRef:2] DOE FECM hosted the Workshop for Applied Research in Carbon Dioxide (CO2) Transport[footnoteRef:3] in Dublin, Ohio from February 21-22, 2023 (the Workshop). Approximately 100 individuals from federal agencies, industry, academia, nongovernmental organizations, national laboratories, and other stakeholder groups participated in the Workshop to share individual perspectives and provide input about the following objectives: [2: United States Department of Energy. (2022). Strategic Vision: The Role of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management in Achieving Net-Zero Greenhouse Gas Emissions. https://www.energy.gov/fecm/strategic-vision-role-fecm-achieving-net-zero-greenhouse-gas-emissions#:~:text=Reports%20and%20Studies-,Strategic%20Vision%3A%20The%20Role%20of%20FECM%20in,Net%2DZero%20Greenhouse%20Gas%20Emissions&text=FECM%27s%20priority%20is%20reaching%20the,greenhouse%20gas%20emissions%20by%202050. ] [3: United States Department of Energy Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management. (2023). Roadmap for CO2 Transport Fundamental Research Workshop. https://www.netl.doe.gov/23TFRW-proceedings.]

· Identify near-term challenges and RD&D areas of interest;

· Identify lab- and pilot-scale research activities of interest;

· Identify potential participants in ongoing and future RD&D efforts; and

· Identify whether a carbon transport research consortium would advance carbon capture, utilization, and storage deployment and could address potential barriers to future success.

The key result of the Workshop was the identification of four broad topics of interest (TOIs) for fundamental and applied RD&D in CO2 transport:

1) Impact of CO2 impurities on asset integrity;

2) CO2-specific leak detection and emergency response protocols;

3) Repurposing of existing infrastructure for CO2 service; and

4) Developing and connecting with other modes of CO2 transport/intermodal hubs.

The Workshop participants also encouraged FECM to consider developing a carbon transport RD&D consortium (“the Consortium”) to facilitate information sharing that could result in coordinated RD&D efforts on the TOIs among stakeholders.

The Consortium is intended to be a group of domestic (U.S.) organizations that are working together to achieve a common objective. It would be structured around committees that would share information about relevant ongoing RD&D activities, conduct gap analyses, and promote synergies which could lead to research project formation and facilitate the performance of peer reviews of projects.

Benefits to Joining:

The following benefits could be realized through the Consortium.

1. Information sharing and collaboration The Consortium would facilitate the sharing of information across organizations. This would support awareness and time savings as new knowledge and technologies are developed.

2. Increased lab visibility The Consortium would provide an opportunity for various laboratories to increase awareness surrounding their specific expertise, capabilities, and applicable ongoing work in support of developing future collaborative opportunities surrounding areas of interest relevant to CO2 transportation.

3. Improve chances to achieve goals The Consortium would bring together professionals working towards mutual goals resulting in better collaboration and cooperation among members. Diverse opinions and individual perspectives for solutions would be encouraged, which would ensure that topics of interest are addressed appropriately.

4. Growing network of knowledge The Consortium would grow a network of quality connections and knowledge by providing:

· Increased access to expertise

· Increased access to organizations

· Increased access to peer reviewed knowledge and data

· Increased access to single mode and multimodal transport companies

The Consortium would create opportunities for attracting new members over time, bringing expertise to fill identified R&D gaps.

Consortium Structure: Figure 1 illustrates the proposed Consortium structure. FECM would be the Consortium manager and co-chair for some of the Consortium committees. FECM would lead and execute the Consortium with technical coordination and logistical/administrative support from NETL. The Consortium would have the following standing committees that would meet periodically (primarily virtually). It is anticipated that the Consortium would have one in-person annual meeting.

Figure 1 - Carbon Transport RD&D Consortium Structure

Federal RD&D Steering Committee – This committee would consist of representatives from DOE, and other U.S. government agencies including government-owned and government-operated labs. The Federal RD&D Steering Committee would be chaired by FECM and would advise FECM on suggested research activities for future funding actions.

Committee for Federally-Funded Research and Development Centers – This committee would consist of representatives from government-owned but contractor-operated labs (generally referred to as “National Labs”). This committee would update the Federal RD&D Steering Committee on the progress of the related funded efforts at the National Labs.

Committee for Non-Governmental Organizations, Industry, and Other Subject Matter Experts – This committee is comprised of representatives from non-government organizations, private sector corporations, or individuals independent from the U.S. government but based or incorporated in the U.S. Committee members must be a U.S. citizen or person. This committee would share information about ongoing or planned research so that it can be collated with the Consortium’s activities.

It is the intent of FECM to establish the Consortium after reviewing RFI responses. Parties that express interest in joining the Consortium through this RFI will be contacted via email with instructions on how to officially register to join.

Membership Requirements: These requirements can be found on the following webpage and will be utilized by FECM to review interested individuals or organizations who wish to join.

Please visit: https://edx.netl.doe.gov/sites/transportconsortium

Consortium Webpage: The envisioned Consortium webpage will further describe the Consortium’s mission, activities, and schedule of events; elicit membership; post public domain information; and may provide an on-line forum for information sharing. All respondents to this RFI will be notified when the Consortium webpage becomes active.

Requested Information:

Through this RFI, FECM seeks input from organizations that may be involved in CO2 transport RD&D and interested in becoming a member of this Consortium. The following questions are provided to guide responses. You may answer as few or as many of the questions as you would like. Please use the numbers as headings in your response to the greatest extent possible and refer to the questions in the body of your response. This helps save time for both the responder and the reviewers. Please be as specific as possible in all responses.

1. What is your level of interest in becoming a member of the Consortium and/or a member of one or more of the three Committees described in the RFI?

Organizations and/or individuals must provide the following information when expressing interest in joining the Consortium.

· First Name

· Last Name

· Position Title

· Entity Type

· Company/Organization Name

· Email Address

2. Are you or your organization involved with or interested in RD&D pertinent to the four TOIs identified in the February 2023 Workshop for Applied Research in CO2 Transport? If so, please respond separately to each TOI (a, b, c, or d) as noted below:

a) Impact of CO2 Impurities on Asset Integrity

b) CO2-Specific Leak Detection and Emergency Response Protocols

c) Repurposing of Existing Infrastructure for CO2 Service

d) Developing and Connecting with Other Modes of CO2 Transport/Intermodal Hubs

Please include the following information in your responses, if applicable:

3. Are you or your organization involved with or interested in applied RD&D relevant to CO2 transport that does not fall into one of the TOIs described in Question 2 above? If so, please suggest a topic of interest that most appropriately describes the RD&D area in which you are working or interested, and include the following information in your responses, if applicable:

4. What would you find most valuable from having and participating in such a consortium? Please let us know what you think.

DISCLAIMER AND IMPORTANT NOTES: This RFI is not a funding opportunity announcement (FOA) or other type of funding opportunity; therefore, DOE is not accepting applications at this time. DOE may or may not elect to issue a FOA in the future based on or related to the content and responses to this RFI. There is no guarantee that a FOA will be issued as a result of this RFI. Responding to this RFI does not provide any advantage or disadvantage to potential members if DOE chooses to issue a FOA regarding the subject matter. Any information obtained as a result of this RFI is intended to be used by the Government on a non-attribution basis for planning and strategy development; this RFI does not constitute a formal solicitation for proposals or abstracts. Your response to this notice will be treated as information only. DOE will review and consider all responses in its formulation of program strategies for the identified materials of interest that are the subject of this request. DOE will not provide reimbursement for costs incurred in responding to this RFI. Respondents are advised that DOE is under no obligation to acknowledge receipt of the information received or provide feedback to respondents with respect to any information submitted under this RFI. Responses to this RFI do not bind DOE to any further actions related to the consortium.

PROPRIETARY INFORMATION: Because information received in response to this RFI may be used to structure future programs and FOAs and/or otherwise be made available to the public, respondents are strongly advised NOT to include any information in their responses that might be considered business sensitive, proprietary, or otherwise confidential. If, however, a respondent chooses to submit business sensitive, proprietary, or otherwise confidential information, it must be clearly and conspicuously marked as such in the response. Responses containing confidential, proprietary, or privileged information must be conspicuously marked as described below. Failure to comply with these marking requirements may result in the disclosure of the unmarked information under the Freedom of Information Act or otherwise. The U.S. Federal Government is not liable for the disclosure or use of unmarked information and may use or disclose such information for any purpose. If your response contains confidential, proprietary, or privileged information, you must include a cover sheet marked as follows identifying the specific pages containing confidential, proprietary, or privileged information: Notice of Restriction on Disclosure and Use of Data: Pages [list applicable pages] of this response may contain confidential, proprietary, or privileged information that is exempt from public disclosure. Such information shall be used or disclosed only for the purposes described in this RFI #DE-FOA-0003330. The Government may use or disclose any information that is not appropriately marked or otherwise restricted, regardless of source. In addition, (1) the header and footer of every page that contains confidential, proprietary, or privileged information must be marked as follows: “Contains Confidential, Proprietary, or Privileged Information Exempt from Public Disclosure” and (2) every line and paragraph containing proprietary, privileged, or trade secret information must be clearly marked with [[double brackets]] or highlighting.

EVALUATION AND ADMINISTRATION BY FEDERAL AND NON-FEDERAL PERSONNEL:

Federal employees are subject to the non-disclosure requirements of a criminal statute, the Trade Secrets Act, 18 USC 1905. The Government may seek the advice of qualified non-Federal personnel. The Government may also use non-Federal personnel to conduct routine, nondiscretionary administrative activities. The respondents, by submitting their response, consent to the Office providing their response to non-Federal parties. Non-Federal parties given access to responses must be subject to an appropriate obligation of confidentiality prior to being given the access. Submissions may be reviewed by support contractors and private consultants.

REQUEST FOR INFORMATION RESPONSE GUIDELINES: Responses to this RFI must be submitted electronically to RequestforInformationFOA3330@netl.doe.gov with the subject line “DE-FOA-0003330-RFI” no later than 5:00 p.m. (ET) on October 09, 2024. This will not be the only period to apply to join the Consortium. Responses must be provided as attachments to an email. It is recommended that attachments with file sizes exceeding 25 MB be compressed (i.e., zipped) to ensure message delivery. Responses must be provided as a Microsoft Word (*.docx) or Adobe Acrobat (*.pdf) attachment to the email, and no more than 15 pages in length, 12-point font, 1-inch margins. Only electronic responses will be accepted.

DOE will not respond to individual submissions or publicly publish a compendium of responses. However, information included in any submission may still become public via a requirement to disclose under the Freedom of Information Act or other federal law or regulation. A response to this RFI will not be viewed as a binding commitment to develop or pursue the project or ideas discussed.

DOE requests respondents provide the following information at the start of their response to this RFI (Please note that this information need not be the same as the information provided in response to Question 1 of the RFI):

• Company/institution name

• Company/institution contact

• Contact's address and phone number image1.png