DOE Renews $25-Million Energy Research Deal with North Dakota Center

The U.S. Department of Energy renewed a $25-million research agreement with the University of North Dakota’s EERC to advance oil, gas, geothermal and carbon capture technologies tied to domestic energy development.

(P&GJ) — The U.S. Department of Energy has renewed a cooperative research agreement with the University of North Dakota’s Energy & Environmental Research Center (EERC), committing up to $25 million over five years to support hydrocarbon and geothermal energy research.

The agreement, administered through DOE’s Hydrocarbons and Geothermal Energy Office, will fund research aimed at expanding domestic energy production, improving grid reliability and advancing carbon management technologies. Funding remains subject to congressional appropriations.

The EERC will continue research across several energy sectors, including oil and gas recovery, geothermal development, coal utilization and carbon capture technologies. The work also includes efforts to improve operational efficiency in unconventional oil production, evaluate uses for produced water and explore repurposing existing oil and gas infrastructure for geothermal power generation.

DOE Under Secretary of Energy Kyle Haustveit said the partnership supports efforts to strengthen domestic energy production and improve energy affordability. He said research conducted through the EERC is intended to help maximize U.S. hydrocarbon resources while supporting a more reliable energy system.

The renewed agreement continues a partnership between DOE and the EERC that dates back to 1983. Separately, DOE recently announced $36 million in federal funding for the EERC’s “Crack the Code 2.0” initiative, which focuses on expanding carbon dioxide-enhanced oil recovery in the Bakken shale formation.