Geothermal Drilling Technology Demonstration Campaign (GDTDC) | DE FOA 0002656

Opportunity Information: Apply for DE FOA 0002656

The Geothermal Drilling Technology Demonstration Campaign (GDTDC) is a U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) funding opportunity issued through the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), specifically the Geothermal Technologies Office (GTO). It is designed to push geothermal drilling technology forward in real, commercial-style field conditions, with a strong emphasis on proving practical improvements that can be repeated and scaled. The core problem the FOA is trying to solve is cost: drilling and constructing geothermal wells can make up as much as half of a geothermal project total capital cost, and that expense is one of the biggest reasons geothermal development has not grown faster nationwide despite the fact that geothermal is a reliable, always-available resource.

This FOA fits into DOE broader strategy laid out in the GeoVision report and GeoVision Roadmap, which argue that geothermal power could expand dramatically if key technology barriers are reduced, especially drilling cost and risk. GeoVision projects that with meaningful technology improvements, geothermal generation could increase roughly 26-fold to around 60 gigawatts-electric by 2050. The FOA also ties its objectives to federal clean energy priorities, including the national goals of carbon pollution-free electricity by 2035 and economy-wide net-zero emissions by 2050, while also emphasizing DOE commitments around job creation through research, development, demonstration, and deployment, plus environmental justice and inclusion of underserved communities.

The technical thrust of the opportunity is captured in a specific GeoVision action area: improving geothermal drilling and wellbore integrity. In practice, DOE is looking for new designs and approaches that make drilling more efficient and reduce total well costs, while also improving reliability and lowering project risk. The FOA highlights that progress can come from multiple directions, including better drilling and completion technologies, improved well designs and construction materials (such as casing approaches), stronger decision-making and workflows, and even lessons transferred from oil and gas operations where some advanced drilling practices have matured faster. A key theme is de-risking technologies and techniques that have promise but are not yet widely used in geothermal development, by supporting demonstrations that prove value under real-world geothermal conditions.

The performance target is intentionally measurable and comparable across projects. Instead of relying on total well cost alone, which can swing wildly due to site-specific issues and one-off events, DOE selected average daily drilling penetration rate (for example, average meters per day) as the main metric. The FOA seeks multiple demonstration projects, each aiming to achieve about a 25 percent improvement in geothermal drilling rates. By using a consistent metric and a clear improvement target, DOE intends to evaluate which approaches deliver real, quantifiable gains and are most suitable for broader industry adoption.

From an administrative and funding standpoint, this is a discretionary funding opportunity (Funding Opportunity Number DE-FOA-0002656) using cooperative agreements, meaning DOE expects to be actively involved during project execution rather than simply issuing a grant and stepping back. The issuing agency is DOE Golden Field Office. The opportunity was created February 3, 2022, with an original closing date of June 3, 2022. The award ceiling listed is $9,000,000, and DOE anticipated making about 4 awards. Eligibility is described as unrestricted (open to any type of entity), subject to any additional clarifications in the full FOA text.

Applications were required to be submitted through EERE Exchange (https://eere-exchange.energy.gov), DOE online portal for these opportunities. The FOA stresses that Exchange enforces hard deadlines for both Letters of Intent and full applications, with submission buttons disabling automatically at the deadline. Applicants were advised to submit at least 48 hours early and to contact the Exchange helpdesk (EERE-ExchangeSupport@hq.doe.gov) in advance of the deadline if technical problems occur, since applicants are responsible for meeting all submission deadlines.

In short, GDTDC is a demonstration-focused geothermal drilling funding program aimed at making geothermal wells faster and cheaper to build in commercial settings, using a clear performance yardstick (average daily penetration rate) and a concrete improvement target (roughly 25 percent). The broader intent is to remove one of the largest cost and risk barriers holding geothermal back, so geothermal can scale as a dependable carbon-free energy source for electricity and other uses like heating and cooling across the United States.

• The Department of Energy, Golden Field Office in the energy sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Geothermal Drilling Technology Demonstration Campaign (GDTDC)" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 81.087.
• This funding opportunity was created on Feb 03, 2022.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Jun 03, 2022. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $9,000,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 4 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Unrestricted (i.e., open to any type of entity above), subject to any clarification in text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility.

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