[Federal Register Volume 65, Number 70 (Tuesday, April 11, 2000)]
[Notices]
[Pages 19364-19365]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 00-8892]
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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Notice of Availability of a Financial Assistance Solicitation
AGENCY: U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), National Energy Technology
Laboratory (NETL).
ACTION: Notice of Availability of a Financial Assistance Solicitation.
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SUMMARY: The Department of Energy announces that it intends to conduct
a competitive Program Solicitation (DE-PS26-00BC15304) and award
financial assistance (cooperative agreements) for
[[Page 19365]]
the program entitled ``Identification and Demonstration of Preferred
Upstream Management Practices (PUMP) for the Oil Industry.'' The
Department of Energy (DOE) National Energy Technology Laboratory
(NETL), on behalf of the National Petroleum Technology Office (NTPO),
seeks cost-shared research and development applications for
identification of preferred management practices (PMP) addressing a
production barrier in a region and the documentation of these practices
for use by the oil industry. The near-term goal is to increase current
domestic oil production quickly.
Awards will be made to a limited number of applicants based on the
economic and technical merit of the application, the integrated
approach and technical understanding, the technical and management
capabilities of the applicant organization(s), the planned technology
transfer activities, and availability of DOE funding.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Keith R. Miles, U.S. Department of
Energy, National Energy Technology Laboratory, Acquisition and
Assistance Division, P.O. Box 10940, MS 921-143, Pittsburgh PA 15236-
0940, Telephone: (412) 386-5984, FAX: (412) 386-6137, E-mail:
[email protected].
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Solicitation Number: DE-PS26-00BC15304.
Awards: DOE anticipates issuing financial assistance (cooperative
agreements) for each project selected. DOE reserves the right to
support or not support, with or without discussions, any or all
applications received in whole or in part, and to determine how many
awards will be made. Subject to availability of funding, DOE expects to
provide funds totaling $4.8 million. The program seeks to sponsor
projects for a single budget/project period of 24 months or less. Due
to the low risk and near-term nature of the PUMP program and the
potential for a process or technology demonstration, all applicants are
required to cost share at a minimum of 50% of the project total.
Details of the cost sharing requirement, and the specific funding
levels are contained in the solicitation.
Solicitation Release Date: This Program Solicitation (available in
both WordPerfect 6.1 and Portable Document Format (PDF)) is expected to
be ready for release on or about April 15, 2000 and will be available
from NETL's World Wide Web Server Internet System at http://www.netl.doe.gov/business. 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.
Background: The National Petroleum Technology Office of the
Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Fossil Energy (FE) has authorized
DOE's National Energy Technology Lab (NETL) to act on its behalf and
solicit cost-shared applications for identification of preferred
management practices (PMP) addressing a production barrier in a region
and the documentation of these practices for use by the industry. The
near-term goal is to increase current domestic oil production quickly.
The mission of the Department of Energy's Fossil Energy Oil Program
is driven by the needs of the oil producers. The overall program is
designed to develop unique technologies and processes to locate
untapped resources; to extend the life of domestic energy resources;
and to reduce well abandonment--all essential to maximizing the
production of domestic resources while protecting our environment. The
National Petroleum Technology Office's Preferred Upstream Management
Practices (PUMP) program as a part of this overall goal is designed to
facilitate production of existing oil reserves more quickly without
sacrificing efficiency or environmental protection.
Based on prior successful results from demonstrations of under-
utilized or advanced technology coupled with reservoir
characterization, the DOE Oil Program seeks to demonstrate that the
identification and use of PMP can overcome regional constraints to
increased production. The program will accept proposals that combine
the identification of preferred management practices (PMP) to overcome
regional production constraints and aggressive technology transfer that
will promote the use of those practices. Barriers can be identified as
technical, physical, regulatory, environmental, or economic. The
selected projects are expected to employ the following four (4)
strategies in order to have a rapid impact on production: (1) focus on
regions that present the biggest potential for additional oil
production quickly, (2) integrate solutions to technological, economic,
regulatory, and data constraints, (3) demonstrate the validity of these
practices either through field demonstration during the project or
documentation of well-run successful past demonstration, and (4) use
known technology transfer mechanisms.
Using a regional approach where the projects will have a wide
applicability, an integrated approach scheduling tasks along parallel
paths to facilitate a quicker response, and operating with existing
networks, the production results in the field should be accelerated.
The documentation and evaluation of the PMP will be a valuable resource
to all producers in the applicable area and possibly other regions as
well.
This program expects near-term results and actions that will create
data or technological resources suitable for long-term use. Teaming is
encouraged and the proposal partners could include, but not be limited
to, producers, producer organizations, universities, service companies,
State agencies or organizations, non-Federal research laboratories, and
Native American Tribes or Corporations. They will demonstrate practices
and/or technologies that can increase production, increase cost
savings, or rapid returns on the capital investments of the operators.
New technologies/processes or under-used but effective applications of
existing technologies/processes critical to a region will be
demonstrated.
The DOE will make publicly available over the Internet the data on
preferred practices resulting from this program. The resulting publicly
available databases of the preferred practices will be interactive,
Internet accessible, should include both technologies and practices,
and address constraints in the exploration, production, or
environmental areas.
Issued in Pittsburgh, PA on April 4, 2000.
Dale A. Siciliano,
Deputy Director, Acquisition and Assistance Division.
[FR Doc. 00-8892 Filed 4-10-00; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6450-01-P