NETL researchers are helping to develop a largely untapped domestic supply of energy by creating the first 3D visualizations based on observations under real-world conditions of a unique natural phenomenon in which methane, the main component of natural gas, becomes trapped in an icy shell, forming what is known as a methane hydrate.

Access to data is essential for research and development. Higher quality data result in higher quality research, but when those data contain sensitive or proprietary information, they might be omitted from public products to protect sensitive locations, innovative plans and proprietary elements of important databases and analyses.

NETL Director Marianne Walck addressed Carnegie Mellon University during its 2025 Energy Week, highlighting how the Lab is leveraging its high-performance computing and artificial intelligence (AI) research capabilities to accelerate energy technology discovery and development.

Chief Data Officer (CDO) Magazine named NETL’s Kelly Rose, senior fellow, Computational Sciences & Engineering, among its Top 50 Data Changemakers for the Energy Sector in 2025 for her work contributing to seismic change in her field.

NETL researchers reached a high-performance computing (HPC) milestone, running advanced energy modeling code on the world’s first exascale supercomputer — a powerful new class of computing systems capable of ushering in a new era of precision, fidelity and reliability for simulation-based engineering.

NETL research scientist Thien “James” Tran won the Young Membrane Scientist Award, presented by the North American Membrane Society (NAMS), for his contributions in developing new gas separation membrane materials including separations from fossil-based industrial point sources such as electric power production, and steel and cement manufacturing.

A first-of-its-kind NETL research project involving the Bakken Shale has shown that a one-size-fits-all approach to understanding the subsurface and overcoming well site operational and water management challenges doesn’t necessarily apply. This is due to the often variable chemical and biological dynamics present at fossil fuel well sites.

NETL contributed to the success of the Exascale Computing Project (ECP), which earned an Achievement Award from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE).

Researchers have initiated operations at a pilot-scale production facility to scale up technology developed by NETL to extract rare earth elements (REEs) from coal fly ash produced by power plants and transform a waste byproduct into a valuable feedstock.

When NETL celebrated its 25th anniversary as a Department of Energy national laboratory late last year, its busy Advanced Alloy Signature Center at its Albany, Oregon, site was highlighted as a national resource that bridges the gap between laboratory research and production for evolving metal alloys that are helping America develop more efficient and lasting energy systems.