[Federal Register: December 2, 2002 (Volume 67, Number 231)]
[Notices]
[Page 71540-71542]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr02de02-66]
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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
National Energy Technology Laboratory
Notice of Availability of a Financial Assistance Solicitation
AGENCY: National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL), Department of
Energy (DOE).
ACTION: Notice of availability of a Financial Assistance Solicitation.
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SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given of the intent to issue Financial
Assistance Solicitation No. DE-PS26-03NT41713 entitled ``Regional
Carbon Sequestration Partnerships''. This solicitation will support the
Department of Energy's Carbon Sequestration Program by promoting the
development of a framework and infrastructure necessary for the
validation, demonstration and wide-scale deployment of carbon
sequestration technologies. This initiative directly supports the
President's Global Climate Change Initiative (GCCI) goal of reducing
greenhouse gas intensity by 18% by 2012 and to ensure that a suite of
commercially-ready sequestration technologies are available for the
2012 technology assessment mandated by the GCCI. The DOE will call for
applications and select multiple Regional Partnerships to receive
financial assistance awards that would be chartered to evaluate options
and potential opportunities for regional CO2 storage and
capture, CO2 transport, regulatory permitting, communication
and outreach, public acceptance, monitoring and verification
requirements, and environmental efficacy of sequestration in their
multi-state region(s). The DOE plans to fund 4-10 partnerships for a
period of up to 24 months. Total Federal funding for this initiative
will be $8-$10 million dollars with a non-Federal cost share of at
least 20%.
DATES: The solicitation will be available on the DOE/NETL's Internet
address at http://www.netl.doe.gov/business and on the ``Industry
Interactive Procurement System'' (IIPS) webpage located at http://e-center.doe.gov
on or about December 16, 2002.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Martin J. Byrnes, U.S. Department of
Energy, National Energy Technology Laboratory, P.O. Box 10940, MS 921-
107, Pittsburgh, PA 15236. E-mail Address: byrnes@netl.doe.gov.
Telephone Number: 412-386-4486.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This notice is to inform an array of
organizations including private landowners, mining and power generation
industry, oil and gas industry, forest product industry, other
commercial businesses, climate change and environmental special
interest groups, academicians, community leaders, county/city planners,
commissioners, engineers, and the general public of the availability of
the Regional Carbon Sequestration Partnerships Solicitation so that
these groups can begin collaboration.
1. Background Information
A. Introduction
This initiative directly supports the President's Global Climate
Change Initiative (GCCI) goal of reducing greenhouse gas intensity by
18% by 2012 and will help ensure that a suite of commercially-ready
sequestration technologies are available for the 2012 technology
assessment mandated by the GCCI. The establishment of several Regional
Carbon Sequestration Partnerships will promote the implementation of
the current RD&D technology for the capture, transport, and storage of
anthropogenic fossil fuel CO2 emissions across the United
States by developing regional solutions.
For sequestration to be economically acceptable, the cost and
energy penalty associated with CO2 capture must be reduced,
the long-term environmental efficacy and safety of CO2
storage must be verified, and an infrastructure amenable to
sequestration must be developed. The geographical differences in fossil
fuel use and sequestration sinks across the United States dictates that
regional approaches will be required to address the sequestration of
CO2. Each partnership will be chartered to develop
permitting requirements, initiate public acceptance, develop protocols
for the application of the latest advancements in technology from the
DOE Carbon Sequestration Program and other RD&D efforts, evaluate these
emerging technologies on capture and storage of CO2, and
establish the monitoring, verification and accounting protocols
required in the event that wide-scale deployment of sequestration
technologies becomes necessary.
Regionally oriented partnerships represent an important step
towards meeting these objectives. The regional diversity of
CO2 sources and storage options calls for a diverse
portfolio of strategies for carbon management. Multi-partner
collaborations are encouraged. A Regional Partnership may consist of
academia, national laboratories, energy producers and users, non-profit
organizations, and state agencies and local agencies indigenous to a
specific region. The multi-state region should be based upon
commonality of interests and contributions to the Partnership including
the similarity of CO2 sources and storage options. States in
the multi-state region need not be contiguous.
B. The Regional Carbon Sequestration Partnerships Initiative
A two-phased approach is being pursued for this Partnership
initiative. This Phase I solicitation will result in a detailed
framework, conceptual design and cost information for follow-on
activities in Phase II, ``Implementation and Technology Validation''.
Phase II is anticipated to be a separate, open competitive solicitation
as a follow-on to Phase I.
In Phase I the Regional Partnership shall as a minimum:
(1) Define the Geographical Boundaries of the Region. There will be
several approaches for the capture, storage, and sequestration of
CO2 that will be required for the United States. For
example, two sinks in the U.S. may have similar geologic
characteristics but one of the two may not be suitable for
sequestration because of regional conditions (e.g., land use change
patterns, seismic considerations, use as a drinking water aquifer). In
addition, a region may have a concentration of unique CO2
sources. These sources could use the same capture technologies and
yield a significant reduction of the CO2 emitted from a
region. Regions should be defined based on similarities of
CO2 sources, sinks, permitting considerations, partners and
other analogous features.
(2) Characterize the Region. Characterize the region relative to
sources, sinks, transport, sequestration options, and existing and
future infrastructure requirements. For direct sequestration approaches
(i.e., capture and injection of CO2 into geologic
reservoirs), partnerships are required to address all of these issues.
For indirect sequestration approaches (e.g., reforestation, agriculture
practices), partnerships are required to identify the natural sinks and
regional sources of CO2 emissions. Information gathered
during the characterization phase should be archived in a relational
database and geographic information system (GIS). The GIS is essential
to analyzing the costs of transport, concentration of sources, capacity
of sinks, and the creation of regional carbon accounting methods/
protocols.
(a) Sources identified within a region must be of collective size
that CO2 capture would significantly reduce the total
emissions within the region.
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Information presented should include, but are not limited to, annual
emissions of CO2, emissions of other green house gases
(GHGs), and locations of large individual sources. Sources of
CO2 can include, but are not limited to, fossil fuel
combustion power plants, metals manufacturing facilities, chemical
processing plants, ethanol production, natural gas production and
fossil fuel energy facilities.
(b) Storage options (i.e., sinks) must include the predominant
geologic and terrestrial sinks of the defined region. Storage options
could include, but are not limited to, geologic reservoirs such as
depleted oil/gas reservoirs; unmineable coal seams; saline formations;
terrestrial sequestration options such as reforestation of abandoned
mine lands; enhancement of unproductive lands; and modifying land
management practices on lands with existing carbon stock to increase
carbon content. Value-added storage options such as enhanced oil
recovery, natural gas production, or growth of timber or agricultural
products should be considered.
(c) Matching sources/sinks with CO2 transportation
issues must be addressed. Transport of the captured CO2 from
the source to the sink may be a significant consideration in regional
greenhouse gas mitigation strategies. The Partnerships must analyze
options/issues related to transport of CO2 between sources/
sinks (e.g., via pipeline, tanker, etc.) within the region. Transport
options/issues are obviously not applicable to indirect sequestration
approaches such as reforestation and agricultural practices.
(3) Identify the Most Promising Capture, Sequestration and
Transport Options. Analyze results from Paragraphs 1 & 2 above to
identify the most promising regional opportunities for CO2
capture, transport, storage and sequestration (direct or indirect) from
the perspective of technical feasibility, safety, estimated cost,
perceived public acceptability, CO2 reduction potential, and
environmental efficacy. Technologies assessed for direct capture of
CO2 are likely to come from the most promising options
emerging from the DOE Carbon Sequestration Program or other related R&D
initiatives conducted by academia and industry. This Regional
Partnership initiative is not intended to be a ``technology
development'' initiative. This initiative should, where possible,
assess and validate the most promising emerging technology developments
and if necessary, identify minor modifications required to fit the
technology(s) to the regional applications. Near the conclusion of
Phase I Partnership activities, these results shall be used to identify
and plan small scale, regional technology validation field tests to be
conducted if the Partnerships desire to participate and are selected
for follow on activity in Phase II Regional Partnership Solicitation.
The results from both Phase I and Phase II activities will ultimately
provide prime candidate regional options for future large scale
( 1 million tonnes per year CO2 sequestered)
demonstration and deployment opportunities, unrelated to these Regional
Partnership solicitations.
(4) Identify and Address Barrier Issues for Wide-Scale Deployment.
Conduct a preliminary assessment of safety, regulatory and permitting
requirements, public perception, ecosystem impacts, and other potential
challenges associated with wide scale deployment of promising regional
opportunities selected for CO2 capture, transport, and
storage (direct and/or indirect approaches). The technology(ies) to be
evaluated will be those chosen as the most promising opportunities from
Paragraph 3. Develop actions plans to overcome these challenges and
begin implementing these plans where possible.
(5) Develop Public Involvement and Education Mechanisms. Develop
public involvement and education action plans that would be applicable
in overcoming the potential challenges identified in Paragraph 4 above.
For example, a public involvement plan may consist of, but not limited
to, public education in the form of mailing lists, public meetings,
media advertising, local interviews and education programs available at
libraries, schools, and local businesses.
(6) Prepare Action Plans for Implementation and Technology
Validation Activity. Follow on action plans should be prepared related
to implementation of the framework developed leading to small scale
regional technology validation field tests identified in Paragraph 3
above. Relative to direct capture options from energy facilities,
Partnerships are encouraged to consider cost-effective approaches that
provide flexibility for assessing multiple candidate technology
options, if appropriate, such as a small slip stream from existing
facility. Action plans for implementing Paragraphs 4 & 5 above should
address the Partnerships plans forward related to public acceptance,
public involvement and education, regulatory, permitting and accounting
frameworks necessary for demonstration and wide-scale deployment of the
most promising greenhouse gas mitigation strategies identified from
this solicitation.
DOE anticipates requiring the following information as part of the
application for financial assistance:
(1) A list of participating public and private organizations,
descriptions of the roles and responsibilities, and letters of intent
for each partner. Regional partnerships can include industry, state and
regional governments, non-profit organizations, academia, and national
laboratories that collectively possess all relevant expertise and
capabilities. Letters of commitment from all members of the partnership
will be required with each application. Those members offering to
provide cost-share are also required to provide details of that
commitment.
(2) A description of the geographic region as defined by the
Partnership including reasons that it should be considered (e.g.,
concentration of particular type sources or sinks), and factors that
make the proposed Partnership necessary for consideration over areas
with similar sources or sinks.
(3) A description of the particular region's CO2 sources
and potential storage sites including a plan to provide detailed
characterization of these sources and potential storage sites.
(4) A description of the potential aggregate amounts of greenhouse
gas storage and value-added benefits (such as enhanced oil recovery,
enhanced gas recovery, improved forestry/agriculture practices) that
could result from the Regional Partnerships.
(5) Identification of environmental efficacy, permitting, and
regulatory issues associated with carbon sequestration and any approach
for resolving these challenges.
(6) An approach to developing an outreach plan to inform the public
of the capabilities and economic benefits of the partnership activities
and engage the public in decision-making when appropriate.
(7) A method for conducting technology transfer and information
sharing on the results of the project.
Eligibility for participation in this Program Solicitation is
considered to be full and open. All interested parties may apply. The
solicitation will contain a complete description of the technical and
organizational evaluation factors and the relative importance of each
factor. Applications submitted by or on behalf of (1) another Federal
agency; (2) a Federally Funded Research and Development Center
sponsored by another Federal agency; or (3) a Department of Energy
(DOE) Management Operating (M&O) contractor will not be eligible for
award
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under this solicitation. However, these organizations may be proposed
as partnership members subject to the guidelines provided in the
solicitation.
Once released, the solicitation will be available for downloading
from the IIPS Internet page. At this Internet site you will also be
able to register with IIPS, enabling you to submit an application. If
you need technical assistance in registering or for any other IIPS
function, call the IIPS Help Desk at (800) 683-0751 or E-mail the Help
Desk personnel at IIPS_HelpDesk@e-center.doe.gov. The solicitation
will only be made available in IIPS, no hard (paper) copies of the
solicitation and related documents will be made available.
Prospective applicants who would like to be notified as soon as the
solicitation is available should subscribe to the Business Alert
Mailing List at http://www.netl.doe.gov/business. Once you subscribe,
you will receive an announcement by E-mail that the solicitation has
been released to the public. Telephone requests, written requests, E-
mail requests, or facsimile requests for a copy of the solicitation
package will not be accepted and/or honored. Applications must be
prepared and submitted in accordance with the instructions and forms
contained in the solicitation. The actual solicitation document will
allow for requests for explanation and/or interpretation.
Issued in Pittsburgh, PA, November 25, 2002.
Dale A. Siciliano,
Director, Acquisition and Assistance Division.
[FR Doc. 02-30406 Filed 11-29-02; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6450-01-P