Beyond Fracking: $45M Federal Program | Community Forum

Johnny Chandler sat down with Director Conner Prochaska who discusses UNLOCK, a $45 million program seeking new ways to recover oil, gas, and geothermal resources in Eddy County., Director of ARPA-E at the U.S. Department of Energy, to talk about UNLOCK, a $45 million program that could affect energy producers, researchers, and communities across Eddy County. ARPA-E is the department’s moonshot office, looking for technologies that are not yet proven but could change what is possible underground.
UNLOCK aims to unlock more output from resources still beneath our feet, including oil and gas, geothermal energy, and critical minerals. Prochaska said the program looks past hydraulic fracturing toward ideas that might have seemed unbelievable a decade ago, and that existing wells and orphan wells could be part of the picture. He also said the strongest projects tend to pair universities with private companies, and that community colleges will play a role in training the workforce these technologies will need. Johnny pointed out that Southeast New Mexico College already partners with SunVapor on produced water treatment.
Applications are open for 60 days through grants.gov and the ARPA-E website, and ARPA-E keeps teaming lists for organizations looking for partners.

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