# DOE awards up to $49.8 million for Alaska methane-hydrate research

> A five-year contract will maintain a North Slope research site, with any follow-on production test dependent on a separate DOE option.

- Canonical URL: https://newsverum.com/en/news/doe-alaska-methane-hydrate-research-contract-october-2026
- Publisher: Newsverum
- Section: Energy
- Country: United States
- Published: 2026-10-15T08:58:13+00:00
- Updated: 2026-10-15T08:58:13+00:00
- Event / data period: 2026-10-14
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The U.S. Department of Energy’s Hydrocarbons and Geothermal Energy Office announced on October 14 a five-year contract worth up to $49.8 million to ASRC Consulting and Environmental Services. The work will study methane hydrates and conduct production testing at a research site on Alaska’s North Slope.

The first phase will maintain the existing site and equipment and develop plans for a possible follow-on test. Only if DOE exercises its Phase 2 option would the contractor set up temporary facilities and attempt to produce methane from targeted hydrate-bearing sections. The department says the testing is intended to assess commercial-scale potential; the award itself does not establish commercial production or prove the resource can be produced economically.

## Data

### Contract value

Five-year research contract announced by DOE on October 14, 2026.

Methodology: Maximum nominal contract value reported by the source, not an amount already spent. Phase 2 depends on DOE exercising its option.

| label | value | unit | period | basis | value_qualifier |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Five-year contract ceiling | 49.8 | million USD | 2026-10-14 | target | upper-bound |

Sources: <https://www.energy.gov/hgeo/articles/energy-department-awards-498-million-advance-methane-hydrate-production-research> · Download data: [JSON](https://newsverum.com/api/v1/articles/doe-alaska-methane-hydrate-research-contract-october-2026/data/methane-hydrate-contract-value?lang=en&format=json) · [CSV](https://newsverum.com/api/v1/articles/doe-alaska-methane-hydrate-research-contract-october-2026/data/methane-hydrate-contract-value?lang=en&format=csv)

## Sources

- [U.S. Department of Energy, Hydrocarbons and Geothermal Energy Office](<https://www.energy.gov/hgeo/articles/energy-department-awards-498-million-advance-methane-hydrate-production-research>) (Source checked: 2026-10-15; Published: 2026-10-14)

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