Oil Recovery Demonstration

The Department of Energy's Oil Recovery Demonstration program (CFDA 81.107) made its most recent grant award on September 20, 1995—over three decades ago—and shows no current or recent grant activity that would support a pursuit decision.

The program funded cooperative agreements focused on enhanced and unconventional oil recovery technologies. Recent awards addressed economically viable extraction methods across multiple field types and geographic contexts: high-angle wells with hydraulic fracturing for trapped oil, advanced recovery from slope basin clastic reservoirs, steam drive reactivation of idle leases for heavy oil, thermal production technologies in mature fields such as Wilmington, and improved waterflood management through reservoir characterization. All five awards were Cooperative Agreements, reflecting the program's reliance on collaborative demonstration between the Department of Energy and private operators.

The Department of Energy was the sole funding agency, obligating $1,154,990 in combined federal dollars across the five awards (though the portfolio block reports negative values for several awards, likely reflecting cost-share credits or adjustments in the underlying data). Individual award obligations ranged from approximately $3,200 to $3.5 million. The largest recent award—FC2295BC14940, obligating $3.5 million for economic recovery of oil at Fan Margius using high-angle wells—was completed in 2001.

No recent grant opportunities are posted. The absence of new funding activity since 1995 and the completion of funded projects by the early-to-mid 2000s indicates this program is dormant. Business development professionals should not pursue this line unless the Department of Energy posts a new solicitation or signals program reactivation.