DOE awards grants to two carbon capture projects in North Dakota

The U.S. Department of Energy has awarded grants for two carbon capture, utilization and storage (CCUS) projects in North Dakota.

One award is for $9.8 million to fund the final phase of the Front-End Engineering Design (FEED) study for Project Tundra, a post-combustion technology to retrofit existing power plants. Project Tundra is being led by Minnkota Power and the University of North Dakota’s Energy and Environment Research Center (EERC), as well as BNI Coal and Allete Clean Energy.

The other is for $5 million to advance the Plains Carbon Dioxide Reduction (PCOR) Partnership Initiative, which is working to accelerate deployment of carbon capture, utilization, and storage technologies.

“North Dakota is leading the way in developing CCUS technologies, and these funds will help to advance these efforts, including enabling the completion Project Tundra’s engineering and design study,” Sen John Hoeven (R-ND), who helped secure the funding, said. “Completion of this study will enable the implementation of the technology at the Milton R. Young Station, allowing up to 90 percent of CO2 emissions to be captured from the station’s Unit 2 generator. Developing and deploying this technology is a win both for consumers, who will continue to have access to affordable energy and for environmental stewardship.”

In August, Hoeven arranged a visit to the EERC by officials from the Department of Energy (DOE) officials. He stressed the need to provide Project Tundra adequate funding to finish its Front-End Engineering Design (FEED) study and ensure timely support through the Carbon Storage Assurance Facility Enterprise (CarbonSAFE) initiative.

“Project Tundra is a unique opportunity for North Dakota to lead the world in the advancement of carbon capture technologies,” Mac McLennan, Minnkota president & CEO, said. “That vision wouldn’t be possible without the steadfast leadership of Senator Hoeven. He has been a believer in Project Tundra from Day 1 and has helped us through each phase of the research and evaluation process. This Department of Energy grant will assist us in completing advanced research and engineering design on the project – one of the final steps before deciding whether to move forward and begin construction.”