GRAND FORKS — Sen. John Hoeven, R-N.D., met with energy leaders at the Energy and Environmental Center in Grand Forks Tuesday, Aug. 20, to discuss Project Tundra.
The project, which has been in the works for several years, seeks to build a carbon-capture unit in North Dakota at MinnKota Power's existing Milton R. Young Unit 2 plant near Center, N.D. Project Tundra could potentially capture up to 95 percent of the plant's carbon emissions. This CO2 could then be used for enhanced oil recovery or stored in rock formations underground.
"This is an opportunity to, as we navigate a carbon managed future, to keep our coal fleet generating affordable and reliable electricity," MinnKota Power’s Stacey Dahl said Tuesday.
Hoeven brought several U.S. Department of Energy officials to North Dakota Tuesday to highlight the EERC’s efforts on the project.
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Hoeven is trying to get more money dedicated to the project, including attempting to ensure the U.S. Department of Energy awards $10 million for the final phrase of the Front-End Engineering Design (FEED) study for Project Tundra, a press release from the senator’s office said. Of that money, $1.4 million would directly support the EERC’s work.
Hoeven also wants the DOE to release funding opportunity for the third phase of the Carbon Storage Assurance Facility Enterprise (CarbonSAFE) initiative promptly, a release said. The program supports the development of commercial-scale CO2 storage facilities, an essential element of Project Tundra.
Having the funding in place will help ensure permitting, financing and construction can proceed in time for the project to benefit from the 45Q tax credit, a tax credit for carbon sequestration.
“We’re on the verge of a real-world demonstration of Project Tundra’s capabilities, a game-changing CCUS technology,” Hoeven said in a statement. “By bringing Assistant Secretary Winberg and DAS Hrkman to North Dakota, we are helping ensure the DOE continues to fund the EERC’s engineering and design study for this technology, which is nearly in its final stage, as well as the initiative to develop geologic emissions storage.”
The project could cost as much as $1 billion. Minnkota is hoping to make a decision on the plant by 2022.
Project Tundra plant is one of only two across the country in development right now. The other is in Texas.
The project was recently awarded two grants totaling around $16 million from the U.S. Department of Energy. The funds come from the DOE’s Advanced Technologies for Enhanced Oil Recovery program.
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“North Dakota has been able to emerge as an energy powerhouse due to the constant innovation of our energy industry,” Hoeven said in a news release in July. “The EERC’s work makes vital contributions toward ensuring the Bakken remains a viable oil play. These funds will help EERC to better develop enhanced oil recovery techniques, using captured CO2 and other means to improve the efficiency of our energy production, extend the productivity of wells throughout the region and ensure a stronger economy for years to come.”
