News Releases issued in: 2011 2010 | 2009 | 2008 | 2007 | 2006 | 2005 | 2004 | 2003 | 2002 | 2001 | 2000

December 19, 2012
DOE's Carbon Utilization and Storage Atlas Estimates at Least 2,400 Billion Metric Tons of U.S. CO₂ Storage Resource
The United States has at least 2,400 billion metric tons of possible carbon dioxide (CO₂) storage resource in saline formations, oil and gas reservoirs, and unmineable coal seams, according to a new U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) publication.

November 28, 2012
Research Projects Addressing Technical Challenges to Environmentally Acceptable Shale Gas Development Selected by DOE
Fifteen research projects aimed at addressing the technical challenges of producing natural gas from shales and tight sands, while simultaneously reducing environmental footprints and risks, have been selected to receive a total of $28 million in funding from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Fossil Energy (FE).

November 27, 2012
Pittsburgh a Smart, Sustainable Showcase for 6,000 Chemical Engineers
Despite a brewing hurricane, chemical engineers from all over the world blew into Pittsburgh for the highly successful American Institute of Chemical Engineers' 2012 Annual Meeting, at which NETL organized one of the key energy-related topical conferences.

November 20, 2012
DOE Approves Field Test for Promising Carbon Capture Technology
A promising post combustion membrane technology that can separate and capture 90　percent of the carbon dioxide (CO₂) from a pulverized coal plant has been successfully demonstrated and received Department of Energy (DOE) approval to advance to a larger-scale field test.

November 19, 2012
Carbon Storage Partner Completes First Year of CO₂ Injection Operations in Illinois
A project important to demonstrating the commercial viability of carbon capture, utilization and storage technology has completed the first year of injecting carbon dioxide (CO₂) from an industrial plant at a large-scale test site in Illinois.

November 15, 2012
Ohio State Develops Game-Changing CO₂ Capture Membranes in DOE-Funded Project
In a project funded by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Fossil Energy (FE), researchers at The Ohio State University have developed a groundbreaking new hybrid membrane that combines the separation performance of inorganic membranes with the cost-effectiveness of polymer membranes. The breakthrough technology has vast commercial potential for use at coal-fired power plants with carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS), a key element in national efforts to mitigate climate change.

November 14, 2012
Platinum/Chromium-Based Stents Approved for Treatment of Peripheral Artery Disease
A new stent that incorporates an innovative metal alloy developed by scientists at Boston Scientific Corporation and the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has received European approval for use in the treatment of certain peripheral arterial diseases. Initially developed for use as a coronary stent, the new PROMUS ELEMENT™ PLUS BTK drug-eluting stent system is designed for treatment of critical limb ischemia, a severe obstruction of arteries within the extremities which reduces blood flow and can damage tissues. Restoring and maintaining peripheral blood flow in these patients is critical for proper tissue repair, and reduces the risk of limb amputation.

November 8, 2012
International Carbon Storage Body Praises Department of Energy Projects
Three U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) projects have been identified by an international carbon storage organization as an important advancement toward commercialization and large-scale deployment of carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS) technologies.

November 7, 2012
NETL Researchers Chosen as Science & Engineering Ambassadors
Four researchers at the Office of Fossil Energy’s (FE) National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) have been chosen as Science & Engineering Ambassadors, with the goal of increasing public understanding and engagement with energy issues.

October 16, 2012
Clean Energy Technologies a Focus of Chemical Engineers' Annual Meeting
The role of clean energy technologies in building a strong economy and improving quality of life is just one of the wide-ranging topics that will be covered at the 2012 Annual Meeting of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE), to be held October 28 through November 2 at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center in Pittsburgh, Pa.

October 10, 2012
Carbon-Capture-Ready Coal-Fired Power Plants Key to Coal Competitiveness
Development of new carbon-capture-ready coal-fired power plants are essential to keeping coal, a proven domestic resource, in the domestic energy mix, according to a report released by NETL.

October 4, 2012
FE Teams Earn Secretary of Energy Achievement Awards
Secretary of Energy Steven Chu today honored two Office of Fossil Energy (FE) groups – the National Energy Technology Laboratory’s (NETL) Coronary Stents Team and the Strategic Petroleum Reserve’s (SPR) 2011 Drawdown Team – with Secretary of Energy Achievement Awards for exceptional performance in carrying out the Department’s mission.

October 3, 2012
New Wastewater Treatment Facilities To Open With DOE-Tested Technology
Two new plants for treating shale-gas wastewater are set to open this month in western Pennsylvania. Using a unique, patented water desalination process developed with support from NETL, the plants actually exceed the state's discharge water quality standards.

October 2, 2012
DOE AVESTAR Center Deploys 3-D Virtual Training System
The U.S. Department of Energy’s AVESTAR™ Center has taken a major step forward with the successful deployment and site acceptance testing of a new 3-D virtual immersive training system for integrated gasification combined cycle (IGCC) power plants with carbon capture. The training center, launched in 2011, continues to build its portfolio of dynamic simulators, virtual plant technologies, and advanced research capabilities to satisfy industry’s growing need for training and experience in the operation and control of high-efficiency, near-zero-emissions energy plants.

September 27, 2012
National Energy Technology Laboratory Captures Three Sustainability Awards
When the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) called on employees to meet sustainability goals by initiating environmental, energy, and economic improvements, the Office of Fossil Energy's National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) answered the call—and captured three Departmental Sustainability Awards for its efforts.

September 25, 2012
DOE Simulator Training to Brazil's Petrobas Advances Goal of Deploying Clean Coal Technology at Home and Abroad Project
A recently-completed comprehensive Department of Energy (DOE) training initiative using an innovative high-fidelity combined-cycle dynamic simulator has provided employees of a Brazilian multi-national company the opportunity to learn to operate and control the near-zero-emission power plants critical to a cleaner energy future.

September 20, 2012
Energy Department Announces Major Milestones for Decatur, Ill. Clean Coal Project
Today, the U.S. Energy Department marked two important milestones in the Illinois Industrial Carbon Capture and Storage (ICCS) project in Decatur, Illinois, a major clean coal project and the Department’s first large-scale industrial carbon capture and storage demonstration project. The Archer Daniels Midland Company (ADM) marked the progress made on construction on the project’s storage facility, as well as the public opening of the National Sequestration Education Center. The Center was funded in partnership with the Richland Community College and will contain classrooms, training, and laboratory facilities, offering students associate degrees in sequestration technology. Once fully operational in 2013, the Illinois project will be able to store 1 million tons of carbon dioxide (CO₂) per year and will help demonstrate the feasibility and reduce the cost of clean coal and carbon capture, utilization and storage (CCUS) technologies.　

September 18, 2012
First-Generation Risk Profiles Help Predict CO2 Storage Site Obstacles
In support of large-scale carbon capture, utilization and storage (CCUS) projects, a collaboration of five U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) national laboratories has completed first-generation risk profiles that, for the first time, offer a means to predict the probability of complications that could arise from specific carbon dioxide (CO₂) storage sites.

September 10, 2012
New Tool Yields Custom Environmental Data for Lifecycle Analysis
A new, free online tool developed by NETL allows users to customize and analyze the environmental impact of various fuels before they are used to create power.

September 04, 2012
International Experts on Clean Coal, Carbon Capture Technologies to Meet at Pittsburgh Coal Conference
The role of fossil fuels in the global energy portfolio, reducing the environmental impacts of coal-based energy systems, and recent advances in clean coal technology are just some of the subjects that will be discussed at the 2012 International Pittsburgh Coal Conference to be held October 15–18 at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center in Pittsburgh, Pa.

August 31, 2012
Energy Department Advances Research on Methane Hydrates - the World's Largest Untapped Fossil Energy Resource
The Energy Department today announced the selection of 14 new research projects across 11 states that will be a part of an expanding portfolio of projects designed to increase our understanding of methane hydrates’ potential as a future energy supply. Methane hydrates are 3D ice-lattice structures with natural gas locked inside, and are found both onshore and offshore – including under the Arctic permafrost and in ocean sediments along nearly every continental shelf in the world. Today’s projects build on the completion of a successful, unprecedented test earlier this year that was able to safely extract a steady flow of natural gas from methane hydrates on the North Slope of Alaska.

August 23, 2012
Favorable Supplies, Costs, Environmental Profile for Natural Gas Revealed in New Department of Energy Study
The nation’s large resource base of natural gas can be used for cost-effective power generation, with environmental burdens coming primarily from fuel combustion, not resource extraction, according to a new Department of Energy (DOE) study. 

August 22, 2012
DOE-Sponsored Project Begins Demonstrating CCUS Technology in Alabama
Carbon dioxide (CO₂) injection has begun at the world’s first fully integrated coal power and geologic storage project in southwest Alabama, with the goals of assessing integration of the technologies involved and laying the foundation for future use of CO₂ for enhanced oil recovery (EOR).

August 21, 2012
Novel Sorbent Achieves 90 Percent Carbon Capture in DOE-Sponsored Test
The successful bench-scale test of a novel carbon dioxide (CO₂) capturing sorbent promises to further advance  the process as a possible technological option for reducing CO₂ emissions from  coal-fired power plants.

August 16, 2012
NETL Researcher Wins HENAAC Award for Outstanding Technical Achievement
The National Energy Technology Laboratory’s (NETL’s) Alexandra Hakala has been honored with a Great Minds in STEM™ Hispanic Engineer National Achievement Awards Corporation (HENAAC) award for Outstanding Technical Achievement.

August 15, 2012
AVESTAR™ Captures Prestigious Technology Transfer Award 
NETL is proud to announce that Dr. Stephen Zitney, along with research engineers Mr. Eric Liese and Dr. Priyadarshi Mahapatra, have earned a 2012 Federal Laboratory Consortium (FLC) Technology Transfer award in the Mid-Atlantic region for their work developing the AVESTAR™ (“Advanced Virtual Energy Simulation Training And Research”) system.

August 14, 2012
NETL-Supported Nanotechnology Benefits Transportation, Energy Sectors
The commercialization of an advanced, erosion-resistant nanocoating for compressor blades, developed with assistance from NETL, promises to benefit both the nation’s transportation and energy sectors—saving fuel, cutting carbon emissions, reducing operational costs, and extending part life.

August 9, 2012
Second Phase of Innovative Technology Project to Capture CO₂, Produce Biofuels Launched in Ohio 
A novel method to capture carbon dioxide (CO₂) from flue gas and produce biofuels has been formally launched in the second phase of a Department of Energy (DOE) project at a nursery in Ohio. Successful application of the process could eventually help reduce greenhouse gas emissions and provide a source of liquid biofuels and biogas, reducing U.S. dependence on foreign energy sources.

July 30, 2012
Seven Projects That Will Advance Solid Oxide Fuel Cell Research Selected by DOE for Further Development
Seven projects that will help develop low-cost solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) technology for environmentally responsible central power generation from the Nation’s abundant fossil energy resources have been selected for further research by the Department of Energy (DOE).

July 26, 2012
Energy Department Announces Awards to Projects Advancing Innovative Clean Coal Technology
As part of President Obama’s all-of-the-above approach to American energy, the Energy Department announced today the selection of eight projects to advance the development of transformational oxy-combustion technologies capable of high-efficiency, low-cost carbon dioxide capture from coal-fired power plants. The Energy Department’s $7 million investment - leveraged with recipient cost-share to support approximately $9.4 million in total projects - will support the development and deployment of Carbon Capture, Utilization, and Storage (CCUS) by focusing on further improving the efficiency and reducing the costs associated with carbon capture.

July 24, 2012
NETL-RUA Engineer Earns Presidential Award for R&D That Could Help Meet DOE Carbon Capture Goals
A Carnegie Mellon University professor who worked with the National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) on research that could help meet carbon capture goals has earned a Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE).

July 20, 2012
Vast Energy Resource in Residual Oil Zones, FE Study Says
Billions of barrels of oil that could increase domestic supply, help reduce imports and increase U.S. energy security may be potentially recoverable from residual oil zones, according to initial findings from a study supported by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Fossil Energy.

July 9, 2012
DOE Advances Innovative CCS Polygeneration Plant Through NEPA Process
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and the California Energy Commission (CEC) are working together to advance an innovative carbon capture and storage (CCS) plant simultaneously through the federal National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) review and a complementary California Energy Quality Act process.

June 20, 2012
Research Projects to Address Technical Challenges Facing Small Oil and Natural Gas Producers Selected by DOE for Further Development
Nine new research projects aimed at extending the life of mature oil and natural gas fields, while simultaneously reducing the environmental footprint of production operations and minimizing environmental risks, have been selected to receive a total of $8.5 million in funding from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Fossil Energy (FE).

June 20, 2012
NETL-Developed Carbon Capture Technology Recognized with an R&D 100 Award
A novel carbon capture technology developed at the Department of Energy’s (DOE) National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) has been recognized by R&D Magazine as among the 100 most technologically significant products introduced into commercial marketplace within the past year.

June 19, 2012
Novel Tool Allows Quicker, More Versatile Analysis of Energy Production Technologies
A new energy production technology analysis tool that could lead to cost-effective improvements for energy generation and lower costs for consumers is now available on the National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) website.

June 8, 2012
NETL Publications Earn National Communications Awards
Two National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) publications have received National Association of Government Communicators (NAGC) first-place awards for superior government communications.

June 7, 2012
New DOE "Best Practices" Manual Features Top Strategies for Carbon Storage Wells
Best practices for managing wells used to store carbon dioxide (CO₂) in geologic formations are the focus of a publication just released by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)’s National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL).

June 6, 2012
Obama Administration Announces Clean Coal Research Awards for Universities Across the Country
As part of President Obama’s all-of-the-above approach to American energy, the Energy Department announced that nine universities have won awards for research projects that will continue to support innovation and development of clean coal technologies. The awards, which will leverage student-led teams across the country as they continue research and development of new technologies and materials that will advance clean coal energy production, are part of the Administration’s focus on ensuring we can rely on a broad range of energy sources as we move towards a clean energy economy.

May 30, 2012
NETL Patented CO₂-Removal Sorbents Promise Power and Cost Savings
Carbon dioxide removal sorbents developed by the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) could result in power and cost savings for users of some heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) systems under a recently signed license agreement.

May 23, 2012
DOE-Supported Education and Training Programs Help Crow Tribe Promote Energy Independence and Education
Two Department of Energy (DOE)-supported programs are helping the Crow Tribe in Montana produce energy with minimal environmental impact, educate future generations, and prepare its community for future jobs in energy fields.

May 21, 2012
DOE Announces New Research to Advance Safe and Responsible Deepwater Drilling Technologies
Thirteen projects aimed at reducing the risks while enhancing the environmental performance of drilling for natural gas and oil in ultra-deepwater settings have been selected by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) for further development.

May 10, 2012
Natural Gas Compression Technology Improves Transport and Efficiencies, Lowers Operating Costs
An award-winning compressor design that decreases the energy required to compress and transport natural gas, lowers operating costs, improves efficiencies and reduces the environmental footprint of well site operations has been developed by a Massachusetts-based company with support from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE).

May 9, 2012
DOE-Sponsored IGCC Project Could Lead to Lower-Cost Carbon Capture Technologies
Changes in operating conditions coupled with changes in commercially manufactured catalysts can produce both power generation increases and significant cost savings at Integrated Gasification Combined Cycle (IGCC) power plants, according to new research from a U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)-sponsored project.

May 8, 2012
Stent Technology Saves Lives, Creates Jobs
When people think of benefits from energy research, they usually don’t envision saving lives. But thanks to an innovative alloy jointly developed by Boston Scientific Corporation (BSCI) and U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) metallurgists, that’s what is happening.

May 3, 2012
DOE-Sponsored Drilling Projects Demonstrate Significant CO₂ Storage at Three Sites
Evaluation-related test drilling at geologic sites in three states that could store a combined 64 million metric tons of carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions – an important component of carbon capture, utilization and storage (CCUS) technology development – has been completed in projects supported by the U.S. Department of Energy.

May 2, 2012
Energy Department Announces New Mapping Initiative to Advance North American Carbon Storage Efforts
Today, the Energy Department joined with partners from Canada and Mexico to release the first-ever atlas mapping the potential carbon dioxide storage capacity in North America. According to the newly released North American Carbon Storage Atlas (NACSA), there is at least 500 years of geologic storage for carbon dioxide emissions in North America. These areas could be used for storing carbon from industrial sources or power plants. Identifying and deploying ways to cleanly, safely and sustainably develop America’s fossil fuel resources, including coal, is an important part of President Obama’s all-of-the-above energy strategy.

May 2, 2012
U.S. and Japan Complete Successful Field Trial of Methane Hydrate Production Technologies
U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu announced today the completion of a successful, unprecedented test of technology in the North Slope of Alaska that was able to safely extract a steady flow of natural gas from methane hydrates – a vast, entirely untapped resource that holds enormous potential for U.S. economic and energy security. Building upon this initial, small-scale test, the Department is launching a new research effort to conduct a long-term production test in the Arctic as well as research to test additional technologies that could be used to locate, characterize and safely extract methane hydrates on a larger scale in the U.S. Gulf Coast.

May 2, 2012
Novel Surfactant Formulation May Bring New Life to Mature Oilfields
A new generation of high-performance surfactants has proven successful in mobilizing residual oil in two mature fields in Oklahoma through a project supported by the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL).

April 25, 2012
Innovative DOE Technology Demonstrates Potential for Significant Increases in Safe and Responsible Production from Depleted U.S. Oil Fields
The U.S. Department of Energy announced today that an innovative technology has successfully improved oil recovery at a 106-year old Illinois field by more than 300 percent. This method of extraction could help pull as many as 130 million additional barrels of oil from the depleted field, which is past peak production using traditional drilling.

April 19, 2012
DOE Continues Long-Running Minority Educational Research Program
Four projects that will strengthen and promote U.S. energy security, scientific discovery and economic competitiveness while producing a diverse next generation of scientists and engineers have been selected as part of the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) long running minority educational research program.

April 13, 2012
Obama Administration Announces New Partnership on Unconventional Natural Gas and Oil Research
Today, three federal agencies announced a formal partnership to coordinate and align all research associated with development of our nation’s abundant unconventional natural gas and oil resources. The partnership exemplifies the cross-government coordination required under President Obama’s Executive Order released earlier today, which created a new Interagency Working Group to Support Safe and Responsible Development of Unconventional Domestic Natural Gas Resources.

April 10, 2012
Opening New Avenues for High-Efficiency, Low-Emission Coal Gasification
Gasification. It’s a versatile technology that uses coal to produce power, chemicals, and fuels. Inherently low in air emissions, solid byproducts, and wastewater, commercial gasification plants have proven capable of exceeding the most stringent regulations for air- and solids-emissions. However, capital and operational costs have prohibited the widespread adoption of gasification, especially for power production—a major source of anthropogenic carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions.

April 5, 2012
NETL-RUA Scans for Improved Enhanced Oil Recovery Technique
Researchers participating in the National Energy Technology Laboratory Regional University Alliance (NETL-RUA) are using a familiar piece of medical equipment – a CT scanner – to evaluate cutting-edge improvements to enhanced oil recovery (EOR) techniques. Results from these studies could be used to help increase domestic oil supplies from EOR while helping to reduce the amount of carbon dioxide (CO₂) emitted to the atmosphere.

March 29, 2012
NETL Shares Computing Speed, Efficiency to Tackle Energy Technology Barriers
One of the world’s fastest supercomputers will be installed at the Office of Fossil Energy's National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) this summer to help develop solutions to carbon capture, utilization and storage (CCUS) technology barriers.

March 26, 2012
"Research Experience in Carbon Sequestration" Training Program Now Accepting Applications
A Department of Energy (DOE) program that helps graduate students and early career professionals gain hands-on field research experience in areas related to carbon capture, utilization and storage (CCUS) is accepting applications until April 15.

February 14, 2012
President Requests $650.8 Million for Fossil Energy Programs
President Obama’s FY 2013 budget seeks $650.8 million for the Office of Fossil Energy (FE) to support improved energy security and rapid development of climate-oriented technology. The request includes $420.6 million for Fossil Energy Research and Development, $195.6 million for the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, $10.1 million for the Northeast Home Heating Oil Reserve (and includes a $6 million rescission of prior year funds), $14.9 million for the Naval Petroleum Reserves and $15.6 million for the Elk Hills School Land Fund.

February 10, 2012
Chu in Pittsburgh: "We Need an All-Out, All-of-the-Above Strategy that Develops Every Available Source of American Energy"
Today, U.S. Secretary of Energy Steven Chu joined Pittsburgh Mayor Luke Ravenstahl to tour a range of research facilities at the National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL), meet with local business leaders and stakeholders in the natural gas industry, and highlight local investments in cutting-edge energy innovations that are laying the building blocks for an American economy built to last.

February 10, 2012
Remote Gas Well Monitoring Technology Applied to Marcellus Shale Site
A technology to remotely monitor conditions at energy-rich Marcellus Shale gas wells to help insure compliance with environmental requirements has been developed through a research partnership funded by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE).

February 9, 2012
Fossil Energy Know-How Helps Heart Patients
For their work developing a new metal alloy that has dramatically improved coronary stents used in patients with heart problems, three scientists at the Office of Fossil Energy's National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) are set to receive the Award for Excellence in Technology Transfer.

February 7, 2012
New Models Help Optimize Development of Bakken Shale Resources
Exploration and field development in the largest continuous oil play in the lower 48 states, located in North Dakota and eastern Montana, will be guided by new geo-models developed with funding from the Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Fossil Energy (FE).

February 2, 2012
Follow the Progress of DOE's Alaska Gas Hydrate Field Test
FE’s National Energy Technology Laboratory and its project partners are testing innovative technologies for producing methane gas from hydrate deposits on the Alaska North Slope.

January 17, 2012
Utility to Purchase Electricity from Innovative DOE-Supported Clean Coal Project
An innovative clean coal technology project in Texas will supply electricity to the largest municipally owned utility in the United States under a recently signed Power Purchase Agreement, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced today.

January 4, 2012
DOE-Sponsored Online Mapping Portal Helps Oil and Gas Producers Comply with New Mexico Compliance Rules
An online mapping portal to help oil and natural gas operators comply with a revised New Mexico waste pit rule has been developed by a team of New Mexico Tech researchers.