On August 11, several members of the Lignite Energy Council who are actively engaged with technologies to capture carbon dioxide from new and existing coal-based power plants had a face-to-face meeting with U.S. Department of Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz. The purpose of the meeting was to encourage the Energy Department to partner with the lignite industry in North Dakota to develop and implement commercial-sized clean coal technologies to reduce carbon dioxide emissions while ensuring reliable, affordable electricity for homes and businesses.

The meeting was arranged by U.S. Senator John Hoeven. The importance of the meeting can’t be overstated. If North Dakota is going to be successful in meeting our stated goals to develop the technology to ensure the future of the industry, we must seek partners who share the same goals.

During the meeting, the senators and the industry representatives made the case that North Dakota is uniquely positioned to be a leader in developing commercially-viable carbon capture and sequestration technologies.

Our state has one of the largest lignite coal reserves in the world, and our industry has reliably produced and exported baseload power to North Dakota customers and surrounding states at competitive prices for several decades. We have both the resources and the infrastructure to continue being a major power supplier in our nation for decades to come. With so much potential, it makes sense for the Department of Energy to work with us to leverage these new technologies and produce more energy with better environmental stewardship.

At the meeting, Moniz learned more about the clean coal projects in North Dakota for new and existing power plants, including:

Project Tundra: Allete Clean Energy, Minnkota Power and BNI Coal are working on next-generation, advanced, full-plant scrubbing technologies to retrofit existing plants to capture CO2, which can then be sequestered or used in enhanced oil recovery.

Allam Cycle Pilot and Demonstration: The University of North Dakota’s Energy & Environmental Research Center, Basin Electric and Allete Inc. are working together on an Allam Cycle pilot and demonstration project for new power plants. The Allam technology uses CO2 to drive turbines and generate electricity and can be used to reduce carbon emissions in coal and natural gas production. The CO2 could then be sequestered or used for enhanced oil recovery.

The secretary told us that he thought our projects were of interest to the Energy Department and that the dialogue would continue as we seek federal funding to co-mingle with industry and state sources. The Lignite Energy Council wishes to thank Senator Hoeven and representatives from Basin Electric, EERC, BNI Energy and Allete Clean Energy and Minnesota Power for participating in the R&D discussion. Senator Hoeven, Senator Heidi Heitkamp and Congressman Cramer have worked with the industry to seek additional federal funding and other incentives for R&D development.