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["INSTRUCTIONS"]
[1,"All questions pertaining to this funding opportunity announcement should be emailed to WellsofOpportunity@ee.doe.gov. "]
[2,"All questions pertaining to EERE Exchange should be emailed to EERE-ExchangeSupport@hq.doe.gov. Include FOA name and number in subject line."]
[3,"All questions and answers pertaining to this FOA will be posted on EERE Exchange within this spreadsheet."]
[4,"DOE will attempt to respond to a question within 3 business days, unless a similar question and answer has already been posted in this spreadsheet. "]
[5,"All questions should be submitted not later than 3 business days prior to the application due date. Questions submitted after this date will not be answered."]
[6,"Questions are assigned a number in accordance with when they are reviewed by DOE.  "]
[7,"Questions are assigned a topic area by DOE when reviewed."]
[]
["TIPS"]
[1,"Applicants may sort questions and answers in the question tabs of this spreadhseet by selecting the drop-down box arrow on the column headers and selecting any of the listed attributes."]
[2,"Applicants may search for questions and/or keywords by holding CTRL+F on the keyboard and typing in a phrase or keyword."]

{"sheet":"FOA CONTENT QUESTIONS","index":1,"n_rows":19,"n_cols":5,"rows_kept":19,"cut":false,"hidden":false,"merged":[[1,0,1,4],[0,0,0,4]]}
["ADMINISTRATIVE QUESTION AND ANSWER LOG"]
["DE-FOA-0002227 - Geothermal Wells of Opportunity (WOO)"]
["Question #","Date Submitted","Topic","Question","Answer"]
[1,"2020-02-11","Application Content/Format","Is Appendix A part of the 15 page limit on the technical volume?","No, the 15-page limit specified for the Amplify topic area applies to the body of the Technical Volume only (including the Cover Page; Project Overview; Technical Description, Innovation, and Impact; Workplan and Market Transformation Plan; and Technical Qualifications and Resources).  Appendix A is considered an attachment to the Technical Volume, and does not have a page limit.  The same concept applies to the Pilot topic area in that the appendix is considered an attachment to the Technical Volume, and also does not have a page limit."]
[2,"Various Submitters","Webinar","Hello, where can we find a link to register for the WOO webinar on February 25?\n\nWhere can we find the information to attend the Webinar announced for February 25, 2020?\n\nIn the FOA, there is an informational webinar scheduled on 25th February. Our team is interested in this FOA. I just wanted to know about the process of joining this webinar.\n\nIt is mentioned on the cover page of DE-FOA-0002227 that there will be an informational webinar on February 25th. I can’t seem to find a link or time for this webinar. Could you please forward those to me?","A pre-recorded version of the informational WOO FOA webinar will be posted on the EERE Exchange web page on Tuesday, February 25, 2020.  No registration will be required to view the webinar, and you may view it at your convenience at any time after it is posted."]
[3,"2020-02-13","Technical Topics","1. Can you please provide some clarity about liability – does DOE assume liability for the well once operations related to this project begin?  If something goes wrong with a test (e.g., a tool gets stuck in the well), will DOE pay for the correction (e.g., fishing the tool out?)\n2. Can we get a list of potential tests that the wells might be used for in Phase 2? One company is particularly concerned about running packers that might have to be drilled out or logging tools with radioactive sources in the hole.\n3. How much control will the well owner retain during Phase 2? i.e., Do they have veto power if they don’t like the test proposed for their well?\n","1. Regarding retrieval (fishing) of a lost tool, DOE would provide financial support to fish for a stuck tool at least three times, before considering other options.  Regarding other potential liability issues, Section IV.H.xi of the WOO FOA provides as much detail as DOE can provide at this time.  Given the complexity of potential liability issues that may be related to particular sites, owners, operators, or entity types, these issues will likely need to be addressed on a case-by-case basis during award negotiations.  \n\n2. Assuming you are referring to Pilot (Topic Area 1), Figure 3 in Section I.B.i provides a list of potential technologies to be tested at target wells.  There will likely be other technologies proposed that are not listed in the figure.  More information regarding potential technologies to be tested may be found in public materials related to FORGE that are searchable on the internet.  Awardees will be required to reserve up to $250,000 of DOE funding to cover well plug and abandonment expenses that may be required due to expected or unforeseen results of well testing.  Please also see the answer to your third question below for additional details regarding the decision process for potential research and technologies to be tested.\n\n3. Assuming you are referring to Pilot (Topic Area 1), DOE envisions a collaborative process for assigning projects selected from the annual FORGE solicitations to wells.  Applicants would begin the process by describing the range of acceptable research / technologies they would be willing to deploy (as well as technologies they would not be willing to deploy) in the target well in the Technical Volume of the application.  DOE will discuss this list with applicants that are selected to negotiate for award at which point applicants will be asked to submit a final list of “accepted” technologies.  During award negotiations, the awardee will be invited to work with DOE to review the technologies within the pre-approved areas recommended for testing in their well.  FORGE priorities, risk, infrastructure, well condition, and geology will be taken into consideration during DOE’s review of potential technologies.  DOE will adhere to the list of acceptable research and technologies provided by awardees at the outset .  If awardees agree to the testing of a subset of technologies but then refuse to allow testing post-DOE-funded-well-repair, the awardee will be required to reimburse the government for the cost of the well repairs/modifications."]
[4,"2020-02-18","Technical Topics","1) Can Sandia and LBL’s involvement include more than monitoring for induced seismicity protocol? For example, can denser networks be explored for generating velocity and tomography volumes, i.e., passive seismic research?\n\n2) Can new legs be drilled for WOO topic 1 or 2?","1) Assuming the question is related to Amplify (Topic Area 2), DOE will support Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL) and Sandia National Laboratories (SNL) for on-site surface and borehole seismic monitoring design, deployment and analysis during the stimulations (the installed seismic monitoring network will be available before the start of the stimulation and will remain in place for some time after stimulation).  Efforts beyond that stated in the WOO FOA are the responsibility of the applicant, but it is critically important that applicants review the stated goals of the Amplify initiative and understand that only research that directly contributes to the 5MW production goal is advised.  The purpose of removing the seismic monitoring and drilling aspects of this effort was to allow the award dollars and cost share to be focused directly on stimulation success.\n\n2) It is up to the applicant to propose a well readiness approach for both Topic Areas but keep in mind that Amplify will prioritize “stimulation-ready” wells.  Additional drilling is allowable, but the total cost of the effort adhere to the guidance provided in each Topic Area Description.  Applicants are also encouraged to review the Merit Review Criteria and Program Policy Factors published in the WOO FOA for more context on how the applications will be assessed according to the stated goals of the effort."]
[5,"2020-02-12","Eligibility","On page 28 of the FOA under TOPIC AREA 2: AMPLIFY it states: \n \nFull applications are compliant if: \n \n(Bullet #3) The Applicant (not partners) provides sufficient legal documentation to demonstrate that they have the legal surface and subsurface rights necessary for stimulation and heat mining. Letters of support from partners or subcontractors do not take the place of legal documentation. \n \nCan you clarify who the “applicant” is in this requirement? Is the applicant the prime applicant only, or are subrecipients on the proposal considered “applicants” too? \n","An Applicant is defined as the lead organization submitting an application under the FOA.  A prime recipient is defined as a non-federal entity that receives a federal award directly from a federal awarding agency to carry out an activity under a federal program, non-inclusive of award sub-recipients or partners.  Legal documentation to demonstrate surface and subsurface rights necessary for stimulation and heat mining could be provided in the form of legal documentation from an applicant/prime recipient directly, or legal documentation could be provided in the form of a binding legal contract between the applicant/prime recipient and proposed subrecipients/partners.  Letters of support from partners or subcontractors do not take the place of legal documentation. "]
[6,"2020-02-25","Technical Topics","Unfortunately the below requirement for the suggested wells are not clear to us:\n\n\"The Applicant provides sufficient evidence documenting the maximum recorded well temperature of the target well is ≥ 135°C\"\n\nDoes this mean that the suggested wells of opportunities must have temperatures higher that  135°C or maximum  135°C?","For both topic areas, GTO is seeking target wells that have recorded temperatures greater than or equal to 135°C (275°F)."]
[7,"2020-02-26","Technical Topics","1) a) Did we understand correctly?  Your target applicant is not restricted to, but is likely well operators?\nb) This FOA in topic area 1 only covers workover of existing sites for the purposes of reentry for testing the 10 new technologies?  In this case, no new technology will be implemented in this FOA. For this aspect of the FOA, your target applicant is not restricted to, but, is likely operators in the FORGE area. They will have best knowledge on well condition and required workover operations required. Awarded operators would then contact service companies to fulfill aspects of the workover. \nc) Similarly for topic Area 2, to propose a reasonable workover operation, the current operator is likely the applicant. The historical completion information, production history, as well as detailed reservoir characterization is important to propose optimal methods for enhancement of the geothermal production. (Given short timeframe and quality of publicly available information service companies are unlikely to be able to offer optimal solutions).\nDo you envision direct service company interaction as positively through this FOA?\n\n2)Though this FOA may not be an appropriate avenue to engage with the FORGE objectives, however, it did bring awareness to the FORGE project to us. Numerous researchers of ours took interest:\nGeoVision Roadmap Key Action 1.3: Improve geothermal drilling and wellbore integrity  \nAs well as completions and stimulation technologies.\nA number of high temperature and hard rock technologies are within our development pipeline. Conversations with FORGE are welcomed from this side. Feel free to reach out to us anytime. \n","1) a) There are no specific restrictions regarding eligibility of various entities (geothermal operators, service companies, etc.) that may apply to either topic area the WOO FOA; please see Section III.A of the FOA for full details regarding eligible applicants.  \nb) Pilot (Topic Area 1) does include potential well workover costs up to $1,000,000, as well as up to $250,000 to cover well plug and abandonment expenses following testing.  DOE envisions testing and implementation of new technologies taking place under the awards made from the FORGE solicitations, whereas the awards under the Pilot initiative will select and rehabilitate test wells to complement efforts at the FORGE-Utah site.  For Pilot, DOE is seeking idle wells in which tool and technology testing may take place.  The wells may span a range of temperatures, depths, geographic locations, and geologic settings which may be similar to or different than those found at the FORGE-Utah site. \n\nc) For Amplify (Topic Area 2), prime applicants and subrecipients/partners could be well operators, service companies, universities, FFRDCs, etc. Legal documentation to demonstrate surface and subsurface rights necessary for stimulation and heat mining could be provided in the form of legal documentation from an applicant/prime recipient directly, or legal documentation could be provided in the form of a binding legal contract between the applicant/prime recipient and proposed subrecipients/partners.  There are no specific restrictions regarding eligibility of various entities (geothermal operators, service companies, etc.) that may apply to Amplify.  Preliminary well stimulation plans are required with applications, but detailed well stimulation plans will not be required until the end of Phase 1.\n\n2) Thank you for your interest in the FORGE initiative and GeoVision Roadmap.  There will be several events in the future via FORGE, DOE Program Reviews, etc. for the geothermal community to collaborate with DOE on well completion methods, stimulation technologies, etc.\n"]
[8,"2020-03-12","Eligibility","The FOA indicates:\n\n\"The Applicant provides sufficient evidence documenting the minimum target well(s) diameter is ≥ 6.25 inches; \nThe Applicant (not partners) provides sufficient legal documentation  to demonstrate that they have the legal surface and subsurface rights to operate in the proposed well(s).  Letters of support from partners or subcontractors do not take the place of legal documentation; \"\n\nWho is considered as the applicant? The PI and co-PI?  Or just the PI? Is the co-PI a \"partner\"? One can consider a situation where the PI has no rights to the land/subsurface but the co-PI does. In this case documentation (not just support letter) from the co-Pi is sufficient? If not, does this limit the PI role to entities with rights/ownership? \n","A question similar to this one was asked previously. Please see Question & Answer #5 posted above in this Wells of Opportunity (WOO) FOA question and answer spreadsheet. "]
[9,"2020-03-23","Eligibility","I see that foreign entities are allowed under this funding opportunity announcement. I work closely with couple of collaborators in Europe. I wanted to ask if this FOA permits \"idle wells\" to be located outside of the US and if the foreign entities are eligible to receive funding for well repair and stimulation work. We are thinking of proposing ideas under Topic Area 1.","Foreign entities are eligible to apply for funding under this FOA.  Please refer to Section III.A.vi of the FOA document for additional details regarding proposed foreign entities as prime applicants and/or subrecipients.\n \nAll work under EERE funding agreements must be performed in the United States unless a foreign work waiver is requested by the applicant, as detailed in Section IV.J.iii of the FOA.  \n \nFor both topic areas (Pilot and Amplify), proposed wells must be located in the U.S."]
[10,"2020-03-29","Technical Topics","For WOO Topic Area 2:\nWill you consider wells that do not reach the 275°F threshold? As many wells drilled for injection are often located on the periphery of geothermal fields, they do not always reach the same temperatures as production wells. Operators have indicated the existence of low injectivity wells at producing fields but with temperatures below 275°F. Stimulation of potential injection wells that have at least some indicated reservoir connection (e.g. elevated temperature, pressure communication, tracer test, fluid chemistry, etc.) could result in additional power production.\n\nDoes an ‘existing geothermal field’ need to be currently producing power at the time of proposal submission to be considered? Systems currently under development with at least one productive well and one non-productive tight well could potentially benefit from stimulation activities.","For the Amplify Topic Area, one of the Compliance Review Criteria is that the applicant provide sufficient evidence documenting the maximum recorded well temperature of the target well is ≥ 135°C (275°F).  Target wells may be production or injection wells.  Following stimulation of the target well, the intent of the FOA is to establish that the post-stimulation production well temperature is ≥ 135°C (275°F).   \n\nOne of GTO’s primary goals with the Amplify topic area is to demonstrate the capability of producing more than 5 MW of additional electrical capacity using advanced stimulation techniques in existing geothermal wells.  As stated in the topic area description, these new stimulation techniques and technologies will be validated in the field, culminating in new power production, adding to the economic viability of existing geothermal fields in low permeability/unproductive wells in/near existing hydrothermal fields.  Therefore, existing power production is a requirement.  "]
[11,"2020-04-07","Technical Topics"," I have a few questions regarding the DE-FOA-0002227 FOA for WOO:\n\n1. Is the 6.25\" well diameter requirement is for the borehole or the casing?\n\n2. Can the same well chosen for Topic Area-1 be proposed for Topic Area-2 as well?\n\n3. Has the requirement for igneous/metamorphic rock been removed from the Topic Area-2?","1. One of the Compliance Criteria for the Pilot topic area is as follows: “The Applicant provides sufficient evidence documenting the minimum target well(s) diameter is greater than or equal to 6.25 inches.”  This minimum diameter requirement refers to the casing within the completed portion of the well.\n\n2. The same target well may be proposed for Topic Area 1 (Pilot) and Topic Area 2 (Amplify).  As stated in Section III.F of the FOA, applicants may designate their application for one or both topic areas.  The same project team with multiple target wells can apply with a single application.  The same project team could also submit one or more target wells to both topic areas with a single application. If there are changes in the project team between sites, multiple applications are required.  Should a single target well be submitted to both topic areas, the award will be made in only one topic area, based upon the content of the application.\n\n3. That is correct, items #10 and #14 from the WOO FOA modification, posted on 3/23/20, deleted the requirement from the original FOA that the potential geothermal reservoir for Topic Area 2 (Amplify) be located in igneous or metamorphic rock.  With the FOA modification, potential geothermal reservoirs for Amplify may be located in any rock type including igneous, metamorphic, and sedimentary."]
[12,"2020-04-09","Foreign Entities/Work","My colleague and I are working with a drilling technology company based in Slovakia. We are helping set up the company’s US subsidiary and exploring potential partners and sources of funding for geothermal demonstration projects in the US. The company’s drilling technology enables cost efficient access to baseload and high temperature heat sources up to 10 km below the earth's surface.\n\nWells of Opportunity might be the right DOE program to help with a geothermal demonstration project.  Might you be able to help us identify any current or future FOAs that would be a good fit?\n","The Geothermal Technologies Office (GTO) does not have any current FOAs posted that are focused on geothermal drilling technologies specifically.  The Pilot and Amplify topic areas of the WOO FOA both include potential well rework activities, so please consider your options as a potential prime applicant or subrecipient in that regard.  GTO has published FOAs in previous fiscal years that did focus on drilling technologies, and please watch for future FOAs as well. Current FOAs from other programs and agencies are available for you to review on www.grants.gov."]
[13,"2020-04-11","Concept Paper","Will our proposed drill plan qualify for the above indicated DOE grant?\n\nProposal\n\n1. Our drill plan proposal is 2-3 relatively inexpensive thermal gradient (TG) holes followed by 1-2 deep exploration wells, using standard oil and gas drilling equipment.\n2. We estimate that about 6,000 ft. should drill through the geothermal system and validate the real-time technology.\n\nConclusion\n\n1. While we do not have an existing well, we have the drill site under our control.  Allowing us to apply for this important grant will allow us to partner with the DOE to advance and test enhanced geothermal system techniques.","Thank you for your interest.  For both topic areas under the WOO FOA, it is a requirement that target well(s) that have been previously drilled exist at the proposed project site."]
[14,"2020-04-11","Other","I am keenly interested in the FORGE program. I am studying the Wells Of Opportunity (WOO) solicitation under DE-FOA-0002227. It states:\n\nResearch testing at FORGE will occur over the next several years while the Utah team drills two dedicated full-size directional wells for stimulation and testing. Half of the funding for FORGE will be dedicated to competitive R&D solicitations in which the community will be eligible to participate. These competitive solicitations will be issued by the FORGE Utah Team and will likely include a variety of emerging geothermal technology concepts in various stages of development, many of which will require field testing. (My emphasis.)\n\nQuestion: Under which umbrella will these solicitations be published: FedConnect? Grants.gov?. How can I assure that I am on the correct mailing list for these FORGE related solicitations?","For more information on the upcoming competitive solicitations issued by the FORGE Utah team, please visit their website at https://utahforge.com/.  There is a tab on the web page that is dedicated to R&D Opportunities, with a Solicitations page that is currently under construction which will have key information such as system of application submission, etc.  Please submit your question regarding the mailing list to the contact email listed on the FORGE website, utahforge@utah.edu.   Please also note that the web page and solicitation process is managed by the FORGE Utah team, so the information provided in this answer could be subject to change.  GTO also plans to issue email alerts, etc. in coordination with the FORGE Utah team to publicize key information regarding FORGE solicitations, etc."]
[15,"2020-04-15","Technical Topics","In response to the DE-FOA-0002227, our team has been working very hard the last 2 months on preparation of application to propose a well of opportunity with the understanding that the minimum required borehole size is minimum 6.25\". Yesterday, we noticed that the well size in FOA actually means the casing size. This not only jeopardized all our time and effort so far to bring this interesting opportunity to promote geothermal R&D, but also remove the chance for us to find another well with this specification as the standard oil and gas casing size in the depth of interest is typically 5.5\". It significantly minimize the chance for GTO to find wells of opportunity in variety of locations around the US since the GTO is looking for idle wells (which are usually very old).\n\nI was wondering if you are flexible with respect to the well size, so we can go ahead and submit our proposal.","One of the Compliance Criteria for the Pilot topic area is as follows: “The Applicant provides sufficient evidence documenting the minimum target well(s) diameter is greater than or equal to 6.25 inches.”  This minimum diameter requirement refers to the casing within the completed portion of the well.  This requirement is unfortunately not flexible, as DOE is seeking wells of the specified minimum diameter so that it allows for deployment of a wide range of downhole tools and technologies to accomplish FORGE research objectives."]
[16,"2020-04-28","Technical Topics","I am writing to inquire about your DE-FOA-0002227: Geothermal Wells of Opportunity (WOO).  I understand you are looking for wells of opportunity to test advancements in EGS various tools and techniques and wonder if you have considered drilling a well, rather than re-conditioning one.   As drilling rates are very low now, due to the oil price slump, I wanted to make you aware that a custom-sized well could be drilled for approximately the same amount of money offered by DOE for this project.  It could be drilled at any location (e.g., NRELs test site land in Boulder, CO - or any other site of interest) and used in perpetuity for testing by your office and its awardees, becoming a long-term asset for your office. \nBenefits to this approach include the ability to locate at a site of your choosing, reduced risks associated with conditioning of an old well, the ability to design specifically for your needs, and the ability to have the well as an asset for future research needs. Many oil and gas companies advance their technologies through similar assets.\nThis well could also be custom drilled to be larger diameter than the min 6.5” requested, thus making it strategically useful for testing a wider range of applications/tools/technologies over many years to come.  The temperature required could be achieved or perhaps even higher temps. Please let me know if you have interest in this solution, we would be happy to execute this project for you. ","Thank you for your interest, but this FOA has closed and no further answers will be posted regarding the Technical aspects of the FOA."]

{"sheet":"Admin Pick List","index":2,"n_rows":17,"n_cols":1,"rows_kept":17,"cut":false,"hidden":true,"merged":[]}
["Pick List"]
[]
["Registration Requirements"]
["Webinar"]
["Concept Paper"]
["Eligibility"]
["Labs/FFRDCs"]
["Foreign Entities/Work"]
["Cost Sharing"]
["Due Dates"]
["Application Content/Format"]
["Intellectual Property"]
["Data Management"]
["Other"]
["U.S. Manufacturing Plan"]
["Application Reviews"]
["Technical Topics"]